Successor to the CLK-DTM?

ds.raikkonen · Post 16 May 2007, 08:08

The CLK63 AMG Black Series at the Nurburgring this year. With a 6300cc V8 engine tuned by AMG, it ll develop 500bhp and 478foot-pounds of torque, more than 470bhp that the CLK-DTM develops. Nought to cent kph in 4.1sec! Can it be considered as a worthy successor to the CLK-DTM?
http://www.caranddriver.com/previews/12 ... eries.html

vis · Post 16 May 2007, 08:25

Wasn't the CLK-DTM a race car?

This CLK63 is a super beefed-up road car, and compared to its illustrious predecessor, has a lot more weight (I guess 1900+ kg) and very little downforce, even with slight more power.

CLK-DTM is arguably faster on a race-track...

ds.raikkonen · Post 16 May 2007, 08:49

vis wrote:Wasn't the CLK-DTM a race car?

Yes, but there was a road going version, very rare and very expensive

West · Post 16 May 2007, 23:06

It's an automatic. There goes 75 percent of the cool factor.

ds.raikkonen · Post 17 May 2007, 07:50

West wrote:It's an automatic. There goes 75 percent of the cool factor.

Well, all the mercs usually are..even the SLR is an automatic, that does nt make them 'slower'

West · Post 17 May 2007, 20:37

ds.raikkonen wrote:
West wrote:It's an automatic. There goes 75 percent of the cool factor.
Well, all the mercs usually are..even the SLR is an automatic, that does nt make them 'slower'

That's why I would never buy a Benz, more so after their disappointing reliability, poor price/content ratio and the "I'm better than you" attitude copped by locals in my area. Ever since I switched to manual (almost exactly a year ago) I do not want to go back.

If I needed a fast German car, an M3 is good enough, although it's a pig.

ds.raikkonen · Post 18 May 2007, 12:28

West wrote:That's why I would never buy a Benz, more so after their disappointing reliability, poor price/content ratio and the "I'm better than you" attitude copped by locals in my area. Ever since I switched to manual (almost exactly a year ago) I do not want to go back.

If I needed a fast German car, an M3 is good enough, although it's a pig.

The quality of the mercs has been dropping..i agree..but i cant agree on the reliability thing, even the SLR's V8 is very reliable, can eat miles without breaking down(again, from what ive seen & heard)...the design of Mercs has always been flamboyant as compared to the BMW' subtle styling. But why is the M3 a pig?

West · Post 19 May 2007, 07:46

The E90 M3's nearly 3600 pounds. That is not sports car weight.

As for reliability... I had my 300E just shut off at stop signs once in a while. That was ok until it actually shut off on the freeway... in the fast lane.

m3_lover · Post 19 May 2007, 08:02

My E46 M3 weights less but at 3400 it has some heft, but the oil changes cost (warranty expired) and fuel economy is not that good, especially if you are a student

and don't forget INSURANCE
And after saving a lot of money for this from about 17 years old till 23 I sacrificed many things to get it, maybe a little bit too much

West · Post 19 May 2007, 08:21

I wanted an E46 M3 also, but the costs were way too prohibitive for me to maintain. I bought a 350Z instead and have been satisfied with its nearly-comparable speed... but what was surprising was the reliability and the cost of maintenance. Mileage isn't that great so I don't thrash it that much (only on corners).

As for the CLK63... it's still an automatic... and Mercedes makes an AMG for everything... not very appealing. Not to mention everybody has a Benz where I live. I used to like Mercedes when they actually stood for excusitivity... now everybody and his mother has one.

The Mercedes 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II is a different story...

m3_lover · Post 19 May 2007, 09:00

West, have you checked into a Infiniti G35/G37 the two door version? Have you checked out the new two door Altima?

ds.raikkonen · Post 19 May 2007, 19:51

West wrote:The E90 M3's nearly 3600 pounds. That is not sports car weight.

Perhaps the M3 CSL R6would suffice.carbon fibre roof, plastic boot lid, cardboard boot floor etc etc....but they are charging more for a car that has lesser equipment than the std. M3, not the first time they ve done it...stripping out the car, and then jacking up the price.sounds great though, but terribly priced at 60000pounds.

m3_lover · Post 19 May 2007, 20:19

You can not get that car in the states and even if you tried you have to get it certified by the government which means you would have to buy the car and get it smashed up by NHTSA(sp?) to see if it is safe to drive for other people who want to buy it. I think it costs close to a million dollars or even more. I know that is how the nissan skyline was able to come to America because some company paid the huge price of safety and crash testing the skyline so they can start to import them.

West · Post 20 May 2007, 05:53

M3 Lover:

I did check into the older G35 (V35 chassis) when I got my car, in May 06. However, as a luxury sports coupe, it did not fit the bill. It was a pretty cheap interior for a luxury brand. I also wanted a lighter car - I used to drive an SC400 which was just over 3500 lbs. I didn't really care for luxury anyway. I kinda wish I had waited another year tho - the 07 350Z has the new HR engine which puts out around 315-320 HP according to older HP ratings, as well as having a nicer engine cover.

The new G-series are nice, but I got my car last year, so unfortunately they were not an option at the time. The G37 looks good, but at also around 3600 lbs, I probably would have ended w/ a 350Z anyway. Besides, when I traded my car in, the dealer said it was actually dangerous to drive - something was wrong w/ the steering. And the AC and radio weren't working, and it had a bunch of scratches, etc. I'll admit tho, for a 92 model, it was a damn nice car that could put most cars to shame today.

And finally, for the R34 and older Skylines... a company named Motorex I believe was the company that first started insuring them. They used to insure them as 240SXs I believe. But then there were new rules by the NHTSA that made importing Skylines more difficult, and Motorex was ran by shady people, so it's not surprising the fad died.

For the M3 CSL... I remember it was either 5th or Top Gear testing one against the original M3 (E46) and it wasn't much faster. At 60K pounds (around 120 grand I believe) you can a 997 Carrerra S or maybe even an Aston Martin Vantage V8 which will be cooler anyway.

ds.raikkonen · Post 20 May 2007, 17:05

m3_lover wrote:You can not get that car in the states and even if you tried you have to get it certified by the government which means you would have to buy the car and get it smashed up by NHTSA(sp?) to see if it is safe to drive for other people who want to buy it. I think it costs close to a million dollars or even more. I know that is how the nissan skyline was able to come to America because some company paid the huge price of safety and crash testing the skyline so they can start to import them.

yes..sadly its very expensive..and as you said, you need to sign a form saying that you understand that the car's tyres wont work when its cold or rainy etc...and its limited also, coz it wuz a legend(3.0 CSL)...how much is the import duty in the US?