One of Six Right-hand Drive Mercedes CLK DTM Cabriolets for Sale

AMG might want you to believe it’s as much a technology company as an engine manufacturer these days, but it’s still a master builder of crazy “bahnstormers.” Just a couple of years ago it drastically changed the architecture of its M178 twin-turbo V8 to accommodate a flatplane crankshaft for the GT Black Series, and it’s easy to forget (with all the backlash) that it was building a hypercar around the 1.6-liter F1 engine that dominated the early years of the sport’s hybrid era.

Even after AMG took its first steps into electric vehicle tuning and experimented with impressive (if not quite as appealing) hybrid technology for the four-cylinder C63, the company hasn’t lost its ability to build something crazy. It’s been a while since it’s cooked up something as obviously crazy as the CLK DTM, though: partly because the days of silhouette prototypes in the DTM are long gone, as the series now uses GT3 machinery to keep costs in check, and there’s no sign of AMG replacing its GT racer with something based on the CLE (the CLK’s distant successor) any time soon, for obvious reasons.

Sure, the aforementioned GT Black covered the race car for the road thing, but the CLK DTM was different: a proper skunkworks project that served as a proof of concept of sorts for the now-fabled Black Series cars. Although the road car’s name is related to the race car, the limited-production road car had little in common with the DTM machine. The 5.4-liter V8 was carried over from the CLK 55 road car, only with a supercharger for a whopping 582 horsepower. Not only was that 200 horsepower more than the 55, but it was also significantly more than the 4.0-liter racing V8 used in the DTM race car. For a more modern reference, the all-new AMG GT 63 makes just 3 horsepower more—20 years after the DTM.

The body was made from carbon fiber and shaped to resemble the DTM machines. The large “vents” integrated into the enormously bulging wheel arches were admittedly artificial, but a lot of work went into bringing the chassis up to date with bigger brakes and a mechanical limited-slip differential. AMG ripped out most of the interior, replaced much of the paneling with carbon fiber, and installed a set of bucket seats made from part leather and part Alcantara – which had never been done before. The company refined the formula, lowered the price, and increased production numbers with subsequent Black Series models, but few have rivaled the sheer excess and insanity of the DTM.

Also, none of the BS cars were offered with a removable roof. After producing 100 DTM coupes, AMG developed a cabriolet version with the same over-the-top looks and performance as the hardtop car. The only significant difference (apart from the lack of a roof) was the retention of the rear seats, albeit with a slight twist. The seats were essentially molded into the bespoke carbon fiber rear bench, with sections of the Alcantara-covered upholstery attached. Comfortable? Probably not, but who cares when you’re sitting in the back seat of Mercedes’ craziest convertibles ever?

Some say convertibles aren’t ‘real’ DTMs, but if they’re good enough for Mika Häkinen and Juan Pablo Montoya, who are we to judge? They’re also even rarer than the coupes: only 80 of them were produced in total, and only six of them with the steering wheel on the right – and this car is one of them. You’ll be unsurprised to know that you’ll have to contact the dealer to find out the price, but this white example sells in Germany for €580,000 (or £488,000), which should give you an idea of ​​how much you should put aside. Alternatively, you could snap up this very rare CLK 63 Cabriolet for much, much less.