What is it?
2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG Cabriolet
What's special about it?
With the recent debut of the $55,000 BMW M3 convertible, it's natural that DaimlerChrysler's in-house Benz tuner, AMG (Aufrect Melcher Grossaspach — named after the company's two founders and the city in which AMG originated), would churn out a competitor. The CLK55 AMG Cabriolet is the result.
The formula is simple. Take the Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 Cabriolet, add a hand-built 5.5-liter V8 engine good for 342 horsepower and 376 foot-pounds of torque (of which 80 percent is available between 1,800 and 4,000 rpm), and massage the suspension, brakes and exhaust for optimum performance. The CLK55 AMG Cabriolet gives buyers more power, stiffer springs and shocks, fatter antiroll bars, racing-derived brakes and a freer-flowing exhaust system. Seventeen-inch, five-spoke multipiece AMG wheels connect the car to the road, but they aren't the company's traditional Monoblock design, incorporating thin spokes instead. A tasteful body kit with front air dam and side skirting completes the look.
Mercedes says the CLK55 AMG Cabriolet will jet from rest to 60 mph in about 5.9 seconds and will attain a top speed of 155 mph, which is remarkable for a droptop. It goes on sale this summer, and pricing is expected to start north of $70,000. If this convertible twists your crank, better hurry with that order — only 1,400 copies will be produced.
Why should you care?
Given the CLK55 AMG Cabriolet's predicted price tag, the fact that it's based on the old 1994-2000 C-Class platform and the upcoming debut of the more pleasurable and less expensive M3 ragtop, you probably shouldn't, unless you've gotta have a three-pointed star gleaming in your field of vision while you cruise Pacific Coast Highway or a rumbling V8 under your throttle foot. — Christian Wardlaw
2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG Cabriolet
What's special about it?
With the recent debut of the $55,000 BMW M3 convertible, it's natural that DaimlerChrysler's in-house Benz tuner, AMG (Aufrect Melcher Grossaspach — named after the company's two founders and the city in which AMG originated), would churn out a competitor. The CLK55 AMG Cabriolet is the result.
The formula is simple. Take the Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 Cabriolet, add a hand-built 5.5-liter V8 engine good for 342 horsepower and 376 foot-pounds of torque (of which 80 percent is available between 1,800 and 4,000 rpm), and massage the suspension, brakes and exhaust for optimum performance. The CLK55 AMG Cabriolet gives buyers more power, stiffer springs and shocks, fatter antiroll bars, racing-derived brakes and a freer-flowing exhaust system. Seventeen-inch, five-spoke multipiece AMG wheels connect the car to the road, but they aren't the company's traditional Monoblock design, incorporating thin spokes instead. A tasteful body kit with front air dam and side skirting completes the look.
Mercedes says the CLK55 AMG Cabriolet will jet from rest to 60 mph in about 5.9 seconds and will attain a top speed of 155 mph, which is remarkable for a droptop. It goes on sale this summer, and pricing is expected to start north of $70,000. If this convertible twists your crank, better hurry with that order — only 1,400 copies will be produced.
Why should you care?
Given the CLK55 AMG Cabriolet's predicted price tag, the fact that it's based on the old 1994-2000 C-Class platform and the upcoming debut of the more pleasurable and less expensive M3 ragtop, you probably shouldn't, unless you've gotta have a three-pointed star gleaming in your field of vision while you cruise Pacific Coast Highway or a rumbling V8 under your throttle foot. — Christian Wardlaw
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