Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR LM Road Car

Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR LM

The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR was intended to enter in the 1997 FIA GT Championship sportscar racing world championship series, known as BPR Global GT Series up to 1996. To be allowed to do so, 25 cars had to be built for the GT1 class. Porsche 911 GT1, McLaren F1, Ferrari F40 and others were already competing there, Nissan R390 GT1 and Toyota GT-One joined in later, at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans.

After the CLK GTR won all World Championships titles it competed for in 1997 and 1998, the GT1 class was cancelled as no competitor showed up for 1999. In that year, the required road cars were finally delivered.

Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR LM
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR LM
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR LM
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR LM
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR LM
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR LM

Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Supercars like the SLS AMG and SL65 AMG Black Series might be the flagships for the current Mercedes-Benz lineup, but back in the late 1990s it was all about the CLK GTR -- an all-out race car slightly disguised as a road car. The street version you see here was built to homologate the race car that competed in the FIA's GT1 class in 1997 and 1998 (wining the championship in 1997). Each came with a 6.9-liter V12 putting out 612 horsepower as well as features found on modern supercars like a sequential six-speed transmission with paddle shifters and carbon fiber brakes. Just 25 examples were built including five roadsters, making the CLK GTR one of the most exclusive supercars ever built.

It's for this reason that the auction of two CLK GTR road cars immediately caught our attention. Both will be offered at RM Auction's Automobiles of London sale on October 28. One coupe and one roadster will go across the block, each completely brand new and unregistered with delivery miles only. Interestingly, both cars are right hand drive, custom built for the original owner. RM lists the estimated price for each CLK GTR at around 1/3 the original cost to build the cars, meaning some lucky collector might take home a supercar for a bargain. Follow the jump for more details about both cars, or check out the stunning high-resolution gallery below.