1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK LM FIA GT1 World Champion car
1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK LM FIA GT1 World Champion car
Chassis #005 – 1 of 4
1998 FIA GT WORLD CHAMPION
The ultimate GT1 car without exception
Driven by Mark Webber and Bernd Schneider
The FIA GT championship was a great success after the FIA took over the BPR championship in 1997. The main car manufacturers were attracted by this world championship that finally put back on the scene the great days of GT endurance racing. For the 1997 season , a new category was even created to encourage the main manufacturers invest in a major racing program. Whereas the GT2 class was mainly raced by privateers and few factory teams, the new GT1 class was clearly created for the big players such as Mercedes, Porsche or Toyota.
The regulations were also more liberal than the GT2, and only few street versions of the racing GT1 cars had to be built.
Mercedes entered the 1997 FIA GT World championship with the CLK-GTR that were also used in the beginning of the 1998 season. But the major change came for the 1998 24 hours of Le Mans with the launch of an upgraded version, the CLK-LM, powered by the famous M119 V8 engine. Scoring a pole position for their first race, both CLK-LM unfortunately retired after few hours. That would be the only race the CLK-LM would not win in the last part of the 1998 championship.
- Mercedes AMG won the 1998 FIA GT championship manufacturer and driver world title
- Both CLK-LM are 1st and 2nd in the FIA GT World Championship, category GT1
Chassis #005
- Chassis #005 is the most successful car in the history of the FIA GT Championship in GT1 class , in terms of overall wins and points accumulated by the same chassis in a single season.
- Chassis #005 won half of the races won by the CLK-LM (4 wins, 2 second places, 5 pole positions)
Chassis #005 achieved an astonishing pole position at Le Mans in 3’35”544. The feared Toyota GT-One is more than 1 second behind, the best Porsche GT1-98 3 seconds, the best Ferrari 333 SP 9 seconds and the best McLaren F1 GTR is 15 seconds behind.
Just before the 24 hours of Le Mans in June 1998, the CLK-LM is unveiled. This is a major upgrade upon the 1997 CLK-GTR, which was then powered by an heavy and difficult to tune V12 engine.
The CLK-LM was lighter, had better aerodynamics and was fitted with an evolution of the legendary M119 engine : a compact and light 5 liter V8 rated at 600 HP with the FIA air restrictors, a well proven engine used in the winning Sauber Mercedes C11 in 1990.
- Weight : 940 Kg
- Dimensions (mm) : 4900 x 1999 x 1112
- Engine : M119 V8 90 deg with 600 HP
- Gearbox : 6 speed sequential
- 1 of 4 built.
- 1 of 2 winning cars raced in period
- 1998 FIA GT (GT1) World champion
- 4 wins, 2 second places
- The most successful car in FIA GT history
- Outrageous domination on FIA GT championship.
- Driven by Formula one Red Bull driver Mark Webber, and 1997 World FIA GT champion Bernd Schneider.
- Rarer and faster than all its competitor : McLaren F1 GTR long tail, Toyota GT-One, Porsche GT1-98, Panoz GTR-1
- Sold by the factory after the 1998 season to a private Japanese collector. The car had been fully restored prior delivery.
Only 2 owners after Mercedes AMG