Exceptional auction: Two Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR

Exceptional Auction: Two Rare Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Could Fetch Over $30 Million Before the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

RM Sotheby’s will auction off these cars on Friday, November 17.

Having a hard time choosing between the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupé or Roadster? No need to choose! Thanks to RM Sotheby’s, you can get both. However, it’s best to have an unlimited credit card, like the Stratus Rewards Visa or the Seven Royal, because each unit’s estimate is sky-high: over $10 million per car. We estimate that the two could fetch more than $30 million combined.

The renowned auction house RM Sotheby’s is about to auction off both hardtop and convertible versions of this racing-derived supercar ahead of this month’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. The vehicles are not being sold as a set, but if you want to add both to your collection, here’s your chance.

Mercedes and its motorsport partner, AMG (before the brand was fully acquired by Mercedes), designed and developed the CLK GTR in the mid-1990s to compete in the newly created FIA GT Championship. The beast, powered by a V12 engine, was an instant success, clinching the team championship in the first two years of the competition. As a result, the muscle-bound race car is considered part of the revered “GT1 Trinity,” alongside the iconic McLaren F1 and the equally impressive Porsche 911 GT1. The FIA homologation rules also required Mercedes to build a road-legal version of the vehicle. Only 28 examples of the “Strassenversion” road car were built between 1998 and 1999, with the production series including 20 coupés, six roadsters, and two prototypes. At its release, it was the most expensive production car in the world, with a price tag of nearly $2.6 million.

The Coupé offered here is the seventh example to roll off the production line. It is finished in Mercedes’ iconic racing color, Iridium Silver Metallic, paired with a blue-gray tartan fabric interior. While not as extreme as the race car from which it originates, the mid-mounted naturally aspirated V12 still churns out 622 horsepower and 539 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels. Despite being designed for the road, the coupé can reach 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 199 mph. RM Sotheby’s expects it to sell for between $8 million and $9 million.

The roadster is the third example built. It is also finished in silver, although its interior is covered in black and gray leather. Its V12, also paired with a manual transmission, isn’t as powerful as the coupé’s, but still produces a respectable 592 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. In addition to being the rarer version of the two CLK GTRs, it has only 106 miles on the odometer, which is why it’s estimated to fetch between $10.5 million and $13 million.

Unsurprisingly, the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTRs are set to be the highlights of RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas Grand Prix Auction, scheduled for Friday, November 17. The cars will be offered as separate lots, but nothing stops you from bidding on both.

Just be prepared to spend over $30 million if you want to take them both home.

Click here for more photos of the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupé and Roadster.