CLK 280 Cabriolet

STORY

The CLK-Class (Coupé Leicht Kurz) was a mid-size two-door line from Mercedes-Benz launched in 1997. It sat between the C- and E-Class and combined C-Class underpinnings with E-Class-style four-round-headlamp styling. Two generations were built: the C208 (1997-2003), a coupe and cabriolet with engines from the supercharged CLK 230 Kompressor up to the CLK 55 AMG, and the larger C209 (2002-2009), which peaked with the 6.2-litre CLK 63 AMG. The name mattered a lot for motorsport and for the brand's image: the CLK GTR won the 1997 FIA GT Championship and led to a road-going hypercar, while the road-legal CLK DTM AMG (limited to roughly 100 coupes plus cabriolets) homologated AMG's DTM effort. The CLK 63 AMG Black Series strengthened the car's performance reputation. Production ended in 2009, and the new E-Class Coupé took over the two-door role. Clean examples, especially AMG and DTM versions, are now sought-after modern classics.