Yahoo Autos The Mercedes CLK GTR Was Homologated Six Days Before its First Race
The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR is one of the most iconic sports racing cars of the 1990s. One of the most amazing things about the CLK GTR was that it was developed in an incredibly short timeframe-just 128 days from start to finish. We've written about this before, but the fact was just underscored to me in this period documentary about the creation of the car.
Everything about the CLK GTR was done at the last minute. In order to homologate a car for the FIA GT Championship, at least 25 road-going examples had to be built. Per this documentary, FIA personnel visited AMG on April 8, 1997 to consider the CLK GTR for homologation. The first race of the season was set for April 13. Mercedes presented the two completed CLK GTR race cars it had at the time, and one single street car. The homologation rules were loosely enforced then, and Mercedes just had to say it'd build 25 CLK GTR street cars, which it did. The reps gave their approval, and the CLK GTR was ready to race.
That following weekend, the CLK GTR was at Hockenheim, where driver Bernd Schneider put it on pole. Schneider's car retired due to a braking issue, while the other CLK GTR entered only managed a 27th-place finish, but the rest of the season went well for Mercedes. The CLK GTR won six out of 11 races in the FIA GT championship, giving Mercedes an easy constructor's championship win, and a driver's championship for Schneider.
This whole documentary provides a great look behind-the-scenes as Mercedes and AMG raced the clock getting the CLK GTR ready for the 1997 season. It's worth watching for the shots of all the GTR's gorgeous hardware alone.
Click here to watch this video on YouTube.
You Might Also Like
