A legendary Mercedes-Benz DTM race car could sell for half a million dollars despite never taking part in a race.
The car in question is a 2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM chassis, #001, and despite its pedigree, it never saw competition.
Similar Mercedes did win races in the DTM that year, with Bern Schneider winning the championship in a CLK DTM.
However, this first of those CLK DTMs could still fetch a large amount of money when it goes under the hammer.
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What makes this Mercedes CLK DTM so special
Chassis #001 was a development car for the CLK DTM program, built by the HWA team that ran the Mercedes DTM program in the 2000s.
Schneider tested the car pre-season before he raced the full season in subsequent versions of the CLK.
Out of the sixteen races in 2000, CLK DTMs won half of them, with the Opel Astra V8 winning the others.
Schneider took victory at six of the events and stood on the podium 13 times throughout the season.
Mercedes had eight cars racing under their badge during the 2000 season.
All fended off strong challenges from Audi and Opel.
The 2000 season win was the second for Scheider after he won the 1995 drivers’ title.
Chassis #001 has led an interesting life
Following its testing program, chassis #001 was sold by HWA to Brazilian billionaire and businessman, Alcider Diniz.
The uncle of 1990s F1 driver Pedro Diniz, the CLK spent much of its life at their private Autodromo Capuava race track.
The car did take part in one race, the 2006 ‘Mil Milhas of Interlagos’.
The CLK took a podium during that event, driven to 2nd place by Tony Kanaan, Raul Boesel, and Pedro Lamy.
Following Diniz’s death, the CLK was sold to a European collector.
The collector used it regularly on track days, before putting it up for sale this year.
Presented in the iconic D2 livery that Mercedes ran in 2000, the CLK is in exceptionally good condition and is nearly all-original.
The lucky new owner will also have a comprehensive spare kit to go with the car, helping it stay on track for years to come.
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