Mercedes-Benz CLK LM public road-going racing car for sale.

In 1998, Mercedes-Benz built the CLK LM to compete in the GT1 class, the pinnacle of the FIA GT Championship, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Although the car did not finish the race at Le Mans due to reliability issues, it dominated the series.

It is believed that only four cars were built in total, one of which is currently for sale.

According to information published in Piston Heads, the impressive racing car was available through London-based dealer JM Performance and was used purely as a test car during its motorsport career. After its motorsport career ended, the car passed into private hands and was initially sold to a Japanese customer; since 2017 it has been in the possession of its current owner in the UK, who has undertaken the procedures to make it roadworthy.

The CLK LM is the successor to the more widely known Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, built a year earlier. Whereas that car required the production of 25 public road-going homologation specials, the CLK LM required only one.

That one and only CLK LM homologation is currently in private hands and may one day be offered for sale. Until that happens, anyone who wants a publicly roadworthy CLK LM can purchase this car from JM Performance. Prices are not listed.

For the CLK LM, Mercedes replaced the V-12 engine in the CLK GTR with a V-8 engine capable of racing 24 hours at Le Mans. The mid-mounted engine is 5.0 liters with a maximum output of nearly 600 hp and is mated to a six-speed sequential transmission that spins only the rear wheels.

With the adoption of the Prototype class as the premier class in the GT championship the following season, Mercedes terminated the CLK LM program and replaced it with the CLR Prototype. The car ended disastrously at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, where aerodynamic problems caused the car to crash multiple times at high speeds.