Over the course of the Nineties and Aughties, it felt like the number of Mercedes-Benz models of which a car nerd needed to keep track completely ballooned off the charts. Where once there had simply been the C-, E-, S-, and SL-classes and the occasional gray market Geländewagen, now there were SLKs, MLs, Rs, an AMG version of everything, and the CLK coupes and convertibles.
Introduced in the late Nineties, the C208 coupe and A208 cabrio CLK replaced the E-series coupe in the Benz catalog. Although it replaced an E-coupe, it was based on the C-class chassis and the C208 rode on a 105.9" wheelbase.
It was replaced with the C209 for 2002 with the A209 ragtop following in 2003. With an inch more wheelbase, they had actual accommodations for four adults in a relatively compact little hardtop coupe or convertible.
It came in two basic flavors. The more mild-mannered version was the CLK320, with the M112 SOHC 18V 3.2L V-6 that made 215 SAE net horsepower. The racier option was the CLK500, like this Pewter Silver Cabriolet. It had the M113 5.0L V-8, which was also a SOHC motor with three valves per cylinder and a 10.0:1 compression ratio, but which belted out 302 horsepower at 5,600rpm. In the heavier Cabriolet, Mercedes claimed a zero-to-sixty time of six seconds flat.
This one was photographed using a Canon EOS R and a 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS zoom lens in July of 2025.
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