Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK GTR duo could fetch over USD$22m at auction

Ready your temperature-controlled garages! For the first time ever, a Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK GTR Coupe and Roadster are set to be sold together by RM Sotheby’s and will act as the crown jewels in this year’s Las Vegas GP auction.

The CLK GTR is revered for being one of the most audacious cars of all time, both in style and performance, and hails from a legendary period of endurance racing that saw it compete against the likes of the McLaren F1 and Porsche 911 GT1. It eventually went on to become a GT1 championship-winning hero.

A total of 28 CLK GTR road cars were built to comply with the homologation rules exerted by the FIA to allow manufacturers to enter their cars into racing, much to the fanfare of wealthy collectors that see these vehicles as shrewd investment opportunities.

The 1999-built CLK GTR Coupe - which has an estimated auction price of between £6.4 million (USD$8 million) and £7.3 million (USD$9 million) – is one of just 20 examples ever made and shows a mere 4,658 miles (7,015 km) on the odometer.

Despite being a toned down version, the Coupe still retains a majority of the straight-line speed and needle-eyed handling summoned up by its racing derivative.

The 6.9-litre AMG V12 has been fettled to make it (somewhat) acceptable for road-use, though still delivers a huge 620hp and 770Nm of torque. The top speed sits at around 320km/h (subject to gearing ratios), with a sprint from 0-95km/h dispatched in just 3.2 seconds.

Remember, this is a near 25-year-old racing car that sends its many horsepowers to the rear wheels using a 6spd manual transmission; that’s fear on a recalibrated level.

Things take an even scarier twist when you consider that its ‘decibel-o-meter’ test result would put any and every Black Series car to shame. In terms of sheer presence, the CLK GTR has a serious attitude problem.

The Roadster meanwhile does take a slightly more relaxed approach to driving, but remains just as capable as its hard-top sibling. The third of just six units ever produced, this ultra-rare CLK GTR Roadster has an estimated pre-auction price of between £8.4 million (USD$10.5 million) and £10.5 million (USD$13 million) - reflective of its 105-mile (about 170km) odometer reading.

Perched alongside an ensemble of hypercar royalty – the total value of which is currently appraised at £56.3 million (USD$70 million) – the pair of CLK GTRs can be seen at Wynn Las Vegas’ Awakening Theatre ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season’s penultimate race... before they likely get squirrelled away into a temperature-controlled garage.

STORY Shafiq Abidin