A YouTuber decided that he wanted to have a Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR in his garage. But this Mercedes is one of the rarest ever made, and they are worth a huge amount of money. So he did the next best thing and decided to build one for himself.
Canadian YouTuber Markus Rubba decided to get his hands on a Lexus V8 and use that as the basis for the car. While it isn’t the Mercedes V12 that the real car has, it’s still a powerful and dependable engine, and it’s quite easy to find second-hand.
The rest of the car involved scavenging parts from all across Canada, and even 3D printing some components so they would be bespoke to the car. Rubba decided to first work on getting the engine sourced, building the basic structure, and getting his replica car running for the first time.
The CLK GTR is one of the most incredible road cars ever made. Only a handful were ever built, so Mercedes could race the CLK in the FIA GT1 class of racing, and they are now incredibly valuable. So you have to have deep pockets to be able to buy one.
How the YouTuber Built His Replica Mercedes
Rubba explained in his video that he started building this car over two years ago. “Over two years ago, I started building this car in my garage with literally no experience,” he said in his video. Explaining why he decided to build a CLK GTR and not buy one, he said: “Being someone who doesn’t just have $10 million lying around, the next best option for me was to build it”.
The V8 under the hood was sourced from a Lexus, while the car’s transaxle was taken from an Audi A4. A lot of the parts were scavenged from across Canada, but there were other components he had to either make himself or adapt with a bit of ingenuity to his creation. He even used a 3D printer to make parts, including those for the car’s manual transmission.
On top of that, Rubba had to spend hours welding suspension brackets, brake calipers, and chassis joints that had previously been tack-welded. It was a complex job, and one that the YouTuber was doing in his spare time among all his other projects. But two years later, he was able to create a running chassis, with the Lexus V8 engine working very well.
“The car actually just moved under its own weight for the first time in two years. I can’t even describe the feeling that I have right now,” Rubba said in a recent video. Next up, it will be things such as the dashboard, center console, body panels, and seats.
Why the CLK GTR Is So Desirable
The Mercedes CLK GT is an all-time great Mercedes. Officially, the car was the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Straßenversion, German for street version, and it had a 6.9-liter Mercedes V12 under the hood, making 622hp and 539lb-ft of torque.
In total, just 28 were built. Two prototypes, 20 coupes, and six roadsters. It is one of the rarest cars ever made, and unsurprisingly, they do not sell for pennies either.
At the time of manufacture, the Guinness World Records labeled the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Straßenversion the most expensive production car in the world, retailing for $1.5 million, which is around $2.5 million in today’s money.
One of the roadsters would later sell at auction for a staggering $10.235 million at RM Sotheby’s, which highlighted just how valuable these incredible cars have become over the years.