Two rare track Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR will be put up for auction (40 photos)
On November 17, Sotheby's auction will put up for sale 2 track supercars of the 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe. A total of 26 of these cars were built. The auction will take place as part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas. The estimated cost is $9 million for each vehicle. 
Mercedes-Benz, in collaboration with AMG, developed the CLK GTR to compete in the GT1 category of the FIA GT Championship in the second half of the 1990s. Homologation standards required the production of a certain number of road cars, but Mercedes-Benz did not adapt an existing model for the track, but did the opposite: the CLK GTR was created from scratch and later slightly modified for public roads.
The road versions of the racing car, known as Straßenversion, featured slightly more comfortable interior trim, air conditioning, an audio system and a larger engine. If a six-liter V12 was installed on the racing CLK GTR, then a 6.9-liter engine was developed for the road supercar. Both versions developed more than 600 hp.
The coupe that will be put up for auction was built in 1999, the seventh in a batch of 20 cars. The car has since traveled a little over 7 thousand kilometers and was not only used by its owners, but was also featured in a Youtube series dedicated to the rarest sports cars. Auctioneers estimate the car to be in the range of $8 million to $9 million.
For a roadster they can pay significantly more - up to 13 million. This rate is determined by several factors. Mercedes-Benz built just six CLK GTRs with open bodies and modified aerodynamics, and this one is the third to arrive. In addition, the car was practically never used: since 2002, it has traveled only 170 kilometers.
The racing CLK GTR has an even rarer modification, the CLK LM. Only four of these were assembled, reworking the existing chassis and power unit for participation in daily racing. One of these cars was put up for sale in August, but the seller did not openly publish the exact price of the car. 
