RE: Two CLK GTRs Fall Under The Hammer

RE: Two CLK GTRs Fall Under The Hammer

Author
Discussion

willcrookz

10,492 posts

193 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
Great looking car, being so unpractical might add to the enjoyment for some.

A CLK-DTM would probably be a much better idea.

I don't think these cars will make alot over the auctions estimate IMO either.

Staffy1984

316 posts

179 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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S3_Graham said:
iluvmercs said:
flemke said:
It wasn't 13, and this was prior to '05.

Why is the CLK-GTR a truly horrible road car?
For starters, as you can see in the Needell video, just getting in is a major production. It makes getting into an F1 seem as easy as falling off a log.
Straight-cut gears: they do not belong in a road car. Ever. The noise is inherently unpleasant, very hard on the ear, and it overwhelms the experience.
The space inside is tiny. There isn't even a real passenger footwell; it's more a slot into which it's posible to jam two small feet.
Once you're on the move, the gear selector is fine, but getting the bloody thing into first, even when it's warmed up, can sometimes take 5-6 attempts. So you're sitting there at a red light, or a give-way, and you want to set off, but you can't, because you're farting around with the stupid paddles. As with the noise of the gearbox, this is not a problem during a race, but you're not racing.
Sure, the engine's got loads of power, and the vehicle has tremedous brip, as you would imagine. There is the small detail that, on public roads, you cannot come close ever to needing that power or that grip, but, but...
It's really no different from the flip side of a car that had been designed exclusively for the public roads - say a big, fat Audi - but which you've taken out of its habitat and onto a racing circuit. Sure, it is physically possible to operate the vehicle on the circuit, but in relation to proper racing cars it will be unavoidably awful.
Many thanks for that insight, flemke thumbup

Seeing as you've had first hand experience of this, may be you can also answer a question I've had, about these cars, for a very long time.
What's the purpose behind the spherical gear slector? Does it slides up and down from a Park, to a Neutral, Reverse and Drive function, as in Automatics/Automated Manuals?

Thanks again,

Darren
Can i be the first to say im gutted that they are crap......

its proper dream car material.... i guess its one of those ' never meet your idol' moments, Handy really as i dont have cash laying around!
Hold your horses there buddy, he didn't say they we're crap, he just said they were a crap ROAD car, if you like the brain drilling whine of a straight cut box and don't mind pulling away in second, then ditch the passenger seat and thrash the pants off it. I don't fall into the category of potential buyers, but would happily have one, especially after flemke has explained it.

It's a race car after all, thats can be driven on the road.

sjw77

34 posts

187 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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I bet Batman is going to be really pi$$ed off when he returns home to see Albert has auctioned off his car...

iluvmercs

7,541 posts

226 months

Saturday 26th September 2009
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flemke said:
iluvmercs said:
What's the purpose behind the spherical gear slector? Does it slides up and down from a Park, to a Neutral, Reverse and Drive function, as in Automatics/Automated Manuals?
It's been quite a few years, and I cannot recall. I can find out for you, if you give me a bit of time.
If you could find out, please, flemke, that would be most helpful - not that I'm a potential buyer, but just as it has bugged me for years, since I first saw a picture of one a CLK GTR!
smile

Darren

GingerRob

443 posts

174 months

Sunday 27th September 2009
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ok ok i havent read the many pages of replies but why o why a purple interiour, it spoils it

tedzwedz

80 posts

188 months

Monday 28th September 2009
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Stablelad said:
Soovy said:
Didn't Flemke drive one of these and say it was utter st?



Edited by Soovy on Thursday 24th September 12:50
These are very well documented to be a truly awful drive. Look brill though.
Then again the Porsche 917k was impossible to drive (and breathtakingly scary) however it did get the results (and lead on to the 956/962 legends etc), and the results from this car at le mans etc was impressive too, it si probably only 0.5% of drivers that can drive it well!

mat205125

17,790 posts

212 months

Monday 28th September 2009
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sjw77 said:
I bet Batman is going to be really pi$$ed off when he returns home to see Albert has auctioned off his car...
rofl

Who?


flemke

22,864 posts

236 months

Monday 28th September 2009
quotequote all
tedzwedz said:
Stablelad said:
Soovy said:
Didn't Flemke drive one of these and say it was utter st?



Edited by Soovy on Thursday 24th September 12:50
These are very well documented to be a truly awful drive. Look brill though.
Then again the Porsche 917k was impossible to drive (and breathtakingly scary) however it did get the results (and lead on to the 956/962 legends etc), and the results from this car at le mans etc was impressive too, it si probably only 0.5% of drivers that can drive it well!
I think we're talking about different things. A racing car may be difficult to drive (in fact, almost all are) but still very fast.
How fast on a circuit a road car may be is not really relevant, because it's meant to be driven on the road. What is relevant is how enjoyable or pleasant it is to drive in its intended environment. The CLK-GTR road car is very fast, but also very unpleasant, and therefore deeply flawed on the road.