CLK GTR Roadster

The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR was born from the FIA GT Championship's requirement that competing cars be based on road-going models. Mercedes and their partner HWA AG (formerly AMG's motorsport arm) took an unusual approach: rather than modifying a road car for racing, they built the race car first and then created the minimum 25 road cars required for homologation. The roadster version, produced after the coupe run, was even more exclusive, with just six examples built in 2002.

The CLK GTR Roadster was powered by a 6.9-liter M120 V12 engine producing 604 hp and 775 Nm of torque, though some late-production examples received an upgraded 7.3-liter unit with even more power. The engine was mounted behind the cockpit in a carbon fiber monocoque chassis derived directly from the racing car. The sequential six-speed gearbox was operated by paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, a feature that was exotic in the late 1990s. The suspension used racing-style double wishbones with pushrod-activated coilover dampers, and the massive carbon ceramic brakes were derived from the race car.

The Roadster differed from the coupe primarily in its open cockpit, which featured a removable soft top for weather protection. The removal of the fixed roof necessitated chassis reinforcement, adding some weight but maintaining the structural rigidity required for the car's extreme performance capabilities. The aerodynamic package was revised for the open-top configuration, with modified airflow management around the cockpit. The car could reach 100 km/h in approximately 3.8 seconds and had a top speed exceeding 320 km/h.

The six CLK GTR Roadsters are among the most valuable and exclusive road cars ever produced by any manufacturer. Their rarity, combined with the genuine racing pedigree of the CLK GTR platform, its competition victories in the FIA GT Championship, and the spectacular V12 engine, makes each example a trophy piece for the world's most advanced car collections. When one of these cars appears at auction, it creates a major event in the collector car world.