Built to celebrate Bernd Schneider's DTM championship win in 2003, the Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG offered customers an experience as close to a championship-winning DTM car as possible while still being certified for road use. Overseen by AMG, construction of this limited-production model was charged to HWA AG, the firm responsible for Schneider’s all-conquering 2003 racer. The differences between the CLK DTM and CLK 55 AMG were far more than just skin deep.

At its heart was a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 producing 582 horsepower, which was mated to Mercedes-Benz’s Speedshift 5G-Tronic automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Its performance credentials remain highly impressive even by modern standards, with 0–62 mph in just four seconds and a top speed of 200 mph. Renowned for its brutal power delivery, the CLK DTM’s surfeit of torque meant that smoking the rear tires under hard acceleration was a regular occurrence well into third gear, making for a truly hair-raising driving experience.

The CLK DTM AMG Coupe, of which 100 were made, proved to be incredibly popular and was incredibly well-received by some of the best racing drivers of the era. CLK DTM AMG owners included Juan Pablo Montoya, Mika Häkkinen, Kimi Räikkönen, and Jenson Button. Looking to capitalize on that popularity, Mercedes-Benz produced a subsequent run of just 80 CLK DTM AMG Cabriolets, offering the same performance with the added thrill of open-top motoring and seating for two additional occupants.

The cabin reflects the model’s competition heritage, with exposed carbon fiber, deeply bolstered seats, and a squared-off steering wheel inspired by the track variant. Toggle switches, placed in what would be the ashtray on a standard CLK operate the traction control, stability control, and transmission settings, allowing the driver to unleash the DTM’s full potential with the flick of a switch. The front fenders, bumpers, and rear fender flares are all made of carbon fiber and other custom touches by HWA can be found throughout the car. One fascinating difference between the Coupe and Cabriolet is that the latter has a composite front hood while the Coupe has the standard metal hood from the CLK.

Wearing the especially desirable and uncommon color combination of Black paintwork over Anthracite leather and a black soft-top, this CLK DTM was originally specified for the German market. In 2022, this car was imported to the United States under the “Show or Display” exemption and subsequently federalized by G&K Automotive Services in Santa Ana, California.

Since its federalization, the car has been maintained within a significant private supercar collection and remains beautifully presented throughout, having accrued only 4,496 miles at the time of cataloguing.

A vanishingly rare sight in Europe, let alone the United States, the CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet is surely one of the most compelling roadgoing racers of the 21st century. Bristling with competition technology and built by the very firm that delivered Bernd Schneider his third championship victory, this remarkable piece of Mercedes-Benz history would be an ideal stablemate to an SLR McLaren Roadster or CLK GTR and will surely remain highly sought after in years to come.