Mercedes CLK GTR GT1 current version 2.0

In the 1997 season, Mercedes-Benz in cooperation with AMG entered GT racing and competed in the FIA GT championship. The CLK-GTR developed for this purpose was the first production racing car from Mercedes-Benz with a mid-engine. Externally the vehicle was inspired by the CLK Coup of the C 208 model series, but it featured advanced racing technology and its V12 engine developed around 441 kW (600 hp) with a displacement of six litres. Bernd Schneider won the drivers title of the 1997 FIA GT championship in the CLK-GTR, while the brand championship went to AMG-Mercedes. From June in the following year, the further developed CLK-LM equipped with a V8 engine entered the lists. The CLK-LM won every championship race in which it competed, and by seasons end Klaus Ludwig and Ricardo Zonta had captured the drivers title, while AMG-Mercedes again won the manufacturers title