Mercedes CLK AMGs Beat Everything From M3s to McLarens: DTM & Black — Revelations w/ Jason Cammisa

Описание: Though the name "Mercedes CLK" conjures images of stuffy coupes, the CLK was a racing champion — and the roadgoing DTM AMG and 63 AMG Black Series are perhaps the best-driving, most outrageous Mercedes of all time.

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In its two generations (C208 and C209) the CLK was little more than 2-door coupe and convertible variants of the W202 and W203 C-Class sedan. Fancied up with styling aped from the larger E-Class, it seemed to appeal to an older, non-enthusiast crowd.

Especially the first-generation C208.

At the same time, however, the CLK badge wound up on the race track. At first, Mercedes purchased a McLaren F1 GTR (Longtail) used it to jump-start development of a V12-powered, mid-engined GT1 race car called the CLK GTR.

The CLK GTR raced in the FIA GT Championship, campaigning successfully from day one.

Its successor, the V-8 CLK LM, made its debut at Le Mans, but then won the GT1 racing series so dramatically that all other contestants withdrew — including the McLaren F1 GTR and Porsche 911 GT1 — effectively killing off the racing series.

Its successor, renamed the CLR, had one mission: to win Le Mans. But it famously took flight thanks to an aerodynamic problem, and killed off Mercedes GT racing.

Mercedes returned to DTM, where it had already had successes with the W201 190E and W202 C-Class, and the CLK DTM won repeatedly.

The C209 CLK debuted the next year — and it absolutely wiped the floor with the competition.

This gave rise to the 2004 CLK DTM AMG coupe and the 2006 CLK DTM AMG cabriolet — roadgoing, limited production, Berserk Benzes created to celebrate the 2003 DTM season win. It was outrageous looking, with carbon-fiber body panels and interior, and the supercharged M113K 5.4-liter V-8.

Widely regarded as the most fun Mercedes ever (it drove like a race car) it was followed by the CLK F1 Safety Car, which previewed the most extreme CLK sold in America: the CLK63 AMG Black Series, which used the brand-new AMG-designed M156 6.2-liter "63" V-8, which shared no parts with any other Mercedes engine.

These two cars joined a lineup full of hot roadgoing CLKs — starting with the C208 and C209 CLK55 AMG and C209 CLK63 AMG, each more flared and outrageous than the next.

This is is a documentary of both generations of CLK, which was replaced by the E-Class Coupe and Convertible, which, like the CLK, were actually C-Class based, thanks to Mercedes' new convoluted naming scheme that put marketing ahead of substance.

Automotive Journalist Jason Cammisa tells us the full story — and then drives both the 5.4-liter CLK DTM AMG and the 6.2-liter CLK Black Series (this one converted to a 6-speed manual, fixing the original CLK BS' biggest flaw: its automatic transmission.)

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