Uncommon automobiles may be extremely costly to purchase. Uncommon homologation specials that allowed these automobiles to run may be much more costly. Such was the case for a Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster that crossed the public sale block at an RM Sotheby’s sale in Las Vegas final week.

The ultimate value paid together with the customer’s payment was $10,235,000.

The automobile is certainly one of simply six examples constructed (it is automobile quantity three), and it is basically a race automobile for the street that is had its roof chopped off. Like most uncommon automobiles, it is barely been pushed. In accordance to the itemizing, it has simply 170 km (105 miles) on its odometer, regardless of being 20 years previous.

The CLK GTR was constructed across the flip of the century as a part of a homologation deal required of Mercedes-Benz to compete within the GT1 class in top-level endurance racing. That class was really discontinued in 1999, however Mercedes-Benz made guarantees to people who raised their palms with fistfuls of money to purchase stated homologation specials.

Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster – Photograph credit score: RM Sotheby’s

The plan was to construct 25 coupe variations however solely 20 have been constructed, plus an additional roadster. Nonetheless, HWA, the motorsports outfit based by AMG co-founder Hans-Werner Aufrech following the sale of AMG to Mercedes in 1999, constructed 5 extra roadster examples within the early 2000s utilizing leftover chassis.

The complete racing model of the CLK GTR competed in each the 1997 and 1998 FIA GT seasons. In 22 races, the Mercedes workforce earned 17 wins and walked away with each the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in each seasons.

The CLK GTR Roadster was stronger than each the race automobile and the coupe, because it featured the newest evolution of the V-12 fitted to all variations of the CLK GTR. The V-12 displaces 6.9 liters and delivers 622 hp within the roadster, up from the 592 hp of the coupe. The race automobile had even much less energy resulting from laws resembling air restrictor necessities and a smaller 6.0-liter displacement. Energy is routed to the rear wheels through a 6-speed sequential transaxle.

This CLK GTR Roadster wasn’t the costliest Mercedes bought in the course of the current RM Sotheby’s sale. That honor goes to a 2013 Mercedes Components 1 race automobile pushed by Lewis Hamilton to his first victory at Mercedes, which befell on the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix. The worth paid together with the customer’s payment was a cool $18,815,000.