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Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG emerges as a high-powered supercoupe
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Cinch that shoulder strap tight as we rip up the palm-fringed boulevards of ritzy Coral Gables for a ride on the wild side in a supercoupe, quickest ever constructed by Mercedes-Benz of Germany.
Labeled as the CLK55 AMG, the sleek two-door Mercedes concoction amounts to a pumped-up AMG treatment for the mid-size CLK coupe.
It's tricked out with racy suspension tuning, mounted with special 17-inch wheels and Z-rated high-performance tires, then injected with a 5.0-liter Mercedes V8 modified by AMG so the engine's size expands from 4966 cc to 5439 cc due to a special crankshaft that elongates the stroke.
Net effect: Displacement of 5.5 liters (thus the 55 designation on the CLK55 nameplate) and excessive output that shoots way up to 342 hp at 5500 rpm plus enormously fat torque numbers of 376 lb-ft at 3000 rpm.
This massive V8 links to the Mercedes Touch Shift electronic five-speed automatic transmission.
To-and-fro movements of the shift lever on the center console enable a driver to step up or down the gear ladder one notch at a time with the control of a manual stick.
Flick, flick, flick, and you'll run through lower gears and send the supercoupe flying.
How fast is flying?
It's hair-raising quick, so much so that it pins shoulders to the tightly bolstered bucket when you zip off the line trailing a throaty roar spit from the pipes.
Official performance times indicate that the CLK55 AMG will move from zero to 60 mph in less than five seconds, and its top speed, limited electronically due to tire constraints, extends to the illicit mark of 155 mph.
As quick as it may be when aimed in a straight line, the coupe can also handle a set of curves like a true sports car.
A rigid chassis and independent suspension elements set up the agile road manners, and steering feels crisp and quick -- and dead-on neutral.
The suspension begins with a double wishbone arrangement in front for agility, and a rear five-arm design that minimizes throttle-induced steering effects and negates squat and lift tendencies in starting and stopping.
Then AMG tweaks the CLK base suspension with higher-rate springs and tighter shock valving, but also stiffer suspension bushings and larger stabilizer bars fore and aft.
Wheels and tire vary from front to rear.
Up front the car uses thick-spoke alloy wheels sized as 7.5 by 17 inches, with 225/45ZR17 high-performance tires in low profile.
In the rear, the wheels increase an inch in width to 8.5 by 17 inches, and tires follow suit as 245/40R17.
The AMG designation for the CLK55 AMG denotes a partnership between AMG and Mercedes that traces back to 1967 when a former Daimler-Benz worker founded a company to modify privately-owned Mercedes models for racy performance. By 1995, the spirited C36 sedan flowed through AMG, which had also created some C Class racing cars that led to trophies for Mercedes at German and international touring car races.
Then the 1998 C43 AMG compact sedan appeared in limited numbers and sold quickly, followed by the 1999 E55 AMG sedan based on the mid-size E Class Mercedes.
In the 2000 line, Mercedes turned to the ML Class of sport-utility wagons for the special AMG treatment and capped the series with a 342 hp ML55 AMG sport-ute.
Also, over the previous two racing seasons Mercedes CLK-GTR race cars developed and fielded by AMG snagged two FIA GT world championships.
For the 2001 Mercedes-Benz line, multiple new models appear with AMG badging, such as the S55 AMG full-size sedan, CL55 AMG elite coupe and the CLK55 AMG compact coupe. Further, the SL500 and SL600 two-seat roadsters wear AMG exterior trim elements.
Despite the proliferation of AMG products this year, all are rare, produced in limited quantities and with substantial numbers applied to the bottom lines.
The CLK55 AMG used for our runs through Coral Gables, coated in serious Black Opal paint with black two-tone leather inside, wore a window sticker with base MSRP of $67,400, plus a destination fee of $545 and an optional phone and CD changer installed for $2,190.
Its tab totaled to $70,135.
Justification for such heady numbers comes from the rarity of the product, its supercoupe powertrain and special hardware for safety, convenience and communication.
The good looks of the supercoupe begin with a bold front treatment borrowed from the E Class sedan with four articulated oval headlamps and round foglamps below, plus a clean chrome grille capped by the Mercedes tri-star emblem.
Every angle exaggerates aerodynamic fluidity of motion: The grille tilts back further than on E sedans, headlamps skew more vertically to narrow the shape, the hood slopes more seriously and windshield cants to the extreme to achieve a low line on the arching roof.
Designers, enamored by hatchback forms, allowed the roof's trailing edge to gently descend into the trunk deck before crimping it at the tail, while on each flank darkened window glass covers the B pillar to emphasize the coupe's graceful form and focus on curt angles of C pillar curves.
For safety, the coupe has a rigid safety-cage framework with front and rear crunch zones and reinforced side bracing. Dual frontal air bags plus door-mounted side air bags are in place, as well as special sensors in the front passenger's seat to detect installation of a child's safety seat and automatically deactivate the passenger's air bag when an infant's safety seat is buckled aboard.
In addition, power-assisted disc brakes tie to an anti-lock system, traction and stability systems, but the Mercedes innovation of Brake Assist is also aboard -- automatically applying full brake force during panic stops to shorten stopping distances by as much as 45 percent.
And a Mercedes telecommunication device called TeleAid is standard, linking wirelessly and automatically to personnel who can dispatch emergency aid, track a stolen car or dispense advice on facilities and services en route.
The interior package, with high-bolstered heated sport buckets in front of two indented rear seats, applies leather and wood trimmings. A premium audio system with eight speakers scores among the many features.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2001 MERCEDES CLK55 AMG Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size performance 2+2 coupe
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| Model Options: |
Mid-size performance 2+2 coupe
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| Wheelbase: |
105.9 inches
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| Overall Length: |
180.2 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 5.5-L V8
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| Transmission: |
Auto/5 Touch Shift
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| Drive: |
Rear
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/EBD/ASR/ESP
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
17/24 mpg
Performance, 0-60 mph........4.89 seconds
Performance, top speed.......155 mph
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| Price: |
$ 67,400 |
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