Looking to celebrate Bernd Schneider’s Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) championship win in 2003, Mercedes-Benz decided to build a limited-edition, street-legal version of the race car that put him atop the podium. Dubbed the CLK DTM AMG Coupé, it very much looked the part of a DTM racer, sporting wider fender flares to house large wheels, a more aggressive nose clip and side skirts and a massive rear wing to create a near Frankenstein look that screamed speed, motorsport and performance from every angle.
Powered by a 5.5-litre supercharged V-8 producing 582 bhp and mated to a Mercedes-Benz SpeedShift 5G-Tronic automatic transmission, the CLK DTM AMG can sprint to a top speed of 320 km/h and a 0–100 km/h time of just four seconds. The interior sits firmly at the intersection of performance and luxury. Defined by a pair of leather and Alcantara trimmed bucket seats, the car sports a DTM-inspired Alcantara-trimmed steering wheels as well, but also all the amenities one would expect from a top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz. Following a run of 100 coupés, which proved to be hugely popular, Mercedes-Benz decided to keep the momentum going and announced they were building just 80 CLK DTM AMG cabriolets. These cars were mechanically and cosmetically identical to their coupé brethren—except, of course, with an open top.
This CLK DTM AMG cabriolet was delivered new to its native Germany, where it had remained under the care of only two owners since leaving the factory. Finished in menacing triple black with black wheels, the car was finished as such by HWA, the motor racing team based in Affalterbach that develops and builds DTM cars for Mercedes-AMG. Having travelled only 1,552 km from new, it remains in excellent condition both inside and out. It would be difficult today to find a lower mileage example in such a fitting colour combination, and as such, this CLK DTM AMG cabriolet warrants serious consideration.