Highlights
- Understood to have been a special order from Germany when new
- Fully serviced by Winsford Classic Cars in August 2022
- MoT valid until 10th August 2023
- AMG equipment including 10-spoke wheels and exhaust tips
- Sold with cherished registration S33 UXX
The Appeal
The appeal of any luxury sports coupé is pretty much apparent from the name. Any car which combines luxury with sporting performance has to be good, and the CLK 500 is no exception. The second-generation CLK-class (C209) was a fresh design for 2002 and, as usual, Mercedes made it available with a large variety of body, engine and trim options.
Of them all, the CLK 500 Coupé was the best you could get at launch, if you’re the more performance-minded sort of motorist. Its five-litre M113 V8 was the biggest engine available in the CLK until it was superseded by the 5½-litre V8 in the CLK 550 in 2007, and with 302bhp letting it accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds, it really was one of the quickest things on the road (top speed, naturally, was electronically limited to 155mph). If you really wanted to feel sporty, you could select, as the buyer of this one did, the sports-oriented Avantgarde trim level.
Inside, of course, it’s all you’d expect – spacious, comfortable, and overflowing with luxury items that make each journey a relaxing pleasure.
This is a very well-appointed car which is understood to have been brought into the country as a special order from Germany, which may explain why it’s rammed with desirable options, including some original AMG parts. Evidently well cared-for over the course of its life, despite being 20 years old it’s still in peak mechanical shape and has just had a fresh, comprehensive service, so it’s ready for you to jump in and enjoy.
The History and Paperwork
- Earliest recorded owner a Mr. Mohammed Rasool of Sutton in 2007
- Purchased by the sixth and present owner, a professional car restorer, from a regular customer in July 2022
- Paperwork includes the current V5 and two historic ones, the original owner’s handbook, a 2008 invoice from Mercedes-Benz Chelsea, a 2016 invoice from STS Tyre Pros, a recent invoice for servicing from Winsford Classic Cars, and a collection of seven MoT certificates issued between 2007 and 2021
- The sale also includes the registration number S33 UXX, which has been with the car for most of its life
The Interior
- Original leather in very good condition
- Power windows and heated power seats
- Air-conditioning, radio-CD player and built-in satellite navigation system
Inside, the CLK 500 is every bit as good as you’d expect a Mercedes to be. Being a performance car, the seats are firm but comfortable, and the first owner made the right decision in specifying leather upholstery instead of the standard cloth and vinyl. The original leather has endured the last 20 years extremely well, remaining in excellent condition throughout with only a few creases appearing in places and some very light cosmetic wear affecting the driver’s seat. The rear seats are especially good, and have obviously seen only light use compared to the front seats.
Elsewhere, everything else is in extremely nice order. The dash, doors, and centre console present extremely well, while the carpets and headlining remain in a very clean and attractive condition. The only cosmetic wear we noticed concerns some of the interior plastics, which have picked up a few light scratches and marks here and there, but otherwise present extremely well. Unfortunately, there is some very slight damage to the base of the driver’s seat where the plastic has broken, but this neither appears obvious nor affects the operation of the seat mechanisms.
The boot springs open at the touch of a button and reveals a large luggage space which has been kept very clean, and contained within are the spare wheel and jack.
The Exterior
- Beautiful, subtly metallic paint
- 10-spoke AMG wheels in excellent condition
- Sporty AMG exhaust tips
We don’t need to spend time praising the CLK’s shape. You can see for yourself what a neat, elegant, flowing design it is. We will, instead, just draw attention to those little details which make it stand out. The silver paint, of course, looks good on any Mercedes, it being something of a trademark since the Silver Arrow Grand Prix cars of the 1930s, but the discreet metallic finish gives it a shimmer which really sets it off when the sun breaks through.
This one is very much enhanced by virtue of it being an AMG edition, which makes a small but important difference. Picture this without the small details like the AMG wheels and exhaust tips, and consider just how much sportier it appears for their inclusion.
All over, the CLK is in excellent condition. We believe the paint to be original, so it’s only natural that it should have picked up a few very, very minor marks or scratches in places where one expects them – on the door mirrors, the rear bumper and at the lip of the bonnet – but for a 20-year-old car it really is astoundingly good. All the glass is in excellent order, as is the chrome, save for a small area on the driver’s door handle where some of the chrome finish has flaked off.
We are most impressed by the AMG wheels which, as far as we could see, appear unblemished. We did not notice any scuffs or scrapes on them, which must testify that this car has always been driven carefully.
The Mechanics
- Equipped with the CLK’s top-of-the-line five-litre V8
- Starts on the button and drives superbly well
- New brake pads fitted
- Fresh MoT valid until August 2023
It’s difficult to overstate what a delight this car is to drive. It fires up on the button and, from there, everything is so smooth that it almost feels like the car is doing the driving for you. Despite the subdued growl from the exhaust which one only hears under acceleration, the car is really very well-mannered and deferential. It’s an automatic and obviously has effortless power steering, so it really is extremely easy to live with.
Although there aren’t all that many invoices on file (one for gearbox work in 2008, one for new tyres in 2016 and one for the recent service), the car’s recent MoT record shows that it’s been kept in good shape. It passed its 2021 MoT with no advisories and, frustratingly, picked up just one advisory in its August 2022 test, because there was a nail in one tyre, which is hardly the end of the world…
Because both the present owner and the previous owner (from November 2021) work as professional car repairers and restorers, the Mercedes is coming from safe hands having been properly maintained by capable individuals.
The recent service by Winsford Classic Cars incorporated the usual oil change, oil filter and air filter replacement and so on, as well as a brake fluid change and the fitment of new brake pads.
The Summary
The CLK 500 is a true modern classic which you can still use every day, and this is a superb example. Benefitting from some AMG trim, it is presented in excellent cosmetic condition with only minimal wear, and has been looked after mechanically so that it still drives like a brand-new car.
On the road, it behaves diligently and dutifully, and is a pleasure in every respect. If we were you, we’d go after this one while the CLK 500 is still fairly affordable.
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