MERCEDES-BENZ

Classic CLK coupe can be revamped?

We often wonder if certain cars will become future classics, as is the case with the 1997 Mercedes-Benz CLK, which celebrates precisely 25 years, as it was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January of that year.

The German manufacturer first introduced the Mercedes-Benz SLK (R170) roadster in April 1996, and less than a year later unveiled the CLK, the second product in its catalog expansion at the time.

According to the Stuttgart brand, the objective of these new vehicles was to attract younger customers, moving away from the usual sedan and betting on other more interesting segments for another type of public. Then came the A Class, the M Class and the CLK Cabriolet, for example.

The history of the CLK, however, begins in March 1993, when the brand presented at the Geneva Motor Show a prototype in the form of a four-seater coupe, which was tremendously similar to the definitive model, launched four years later, with the same 'four-eyed' look.

The purpose of that concept was precisely to familiarize the public with the future design of the house, as assured by Peter Pfeiffer, one of the designers under the baton of the then head of design, Bruno Sacco. That front with four headlights was shown again in 1995, with the E Class W210. Naturally, CLK adopted this face two years later.

On a technical level, the model was based in many ways on the C Class, and in fact shared engines with the sedan, although it also had many specific solutions, mainly in terms of design.

The engine offer consisted of 4-cylinder models, such as the CLK 200 with 136 hp, and also by 6-cylinder blocks, in addition to V8, such as the CLK 430, which reached 279 hp, and the powerful CLK 55 AMG, which reached up to 347 hp.

In addition, it was offered with different trim lines, such as Sport and Elegance, and as standard it already had traction control, leather steering wheel, remote opening of the tailgate, outside temperature indicator and asymmetrically folding rear seats.

Until 2002, when the second generation of the model (209 series) appeared, a total of 233,367 copies of the original CLK were manufactured at the plant in Bremen, Germany, the most successful of all being the CLK 320 (218 hp) , which totaled 68,778 units.

The first CLKs can currently be purchased in Europe for a relatively low price, as it suffers from electronics and rust problems, but the AMG versions are likely to maintain a higher price and even increase in the future.

Autonews