Twenty-five years ago, the first phase of the Mercedes-Benz product campaign was in full swing: following the compact roadster SLK (R 170) presented in April 1996, the Mercedes-Benz CLK (model series 208) made its debut in January 1997. This second new production vehicle within the then dynamic expansion of the product portfolio was first presented to the public at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The much-acclaimed world premiere made it clear that the winds of change were blowing at Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz product campaign of the 1990s. Group photo from 1998 with the vehicles of the time. S-Class (W/V 220), SLK (R 170), SL (R 129), CLK Coupé (C 208), E-Class Saloon (W 210), A-Class (model series W 168), CLK Cabriolet (A 208), E-Class Estate (S 210), C-Class Saloon (W 202), M-Class (W 163), C-Class Estate (S 202), Vito (W 638) and G-Class (W 463).

In Detroit, the CLK underlined how serious Mercedes-Benz was about breaking into new segments. The brand’s goal was to address additional and younger target groups with new vehicles and thus strengthen its base in the market. The next products in this strategy were also already set for launch: the A-Class and M-Class also made their debut in 1997, followed by the CLK Cabriolet in 1998. In addition, all other series were kept up to date.

All in all, this product campaign was a tour de force for the company. And yet it was only the beginning, because another great display of models began in the early 2000s with even greater attention paid to the aspects of “fascination” and “emotion”. Two examples from this second phase: the SLR McLaren (2003) and the CLS (2004). Since then, Mercedes-Benz has not stopped putting new stars into orbit. The resulting comprehensive model range makes Mercedes-Benz the strongest luxury car brand in the world.

Mercedes-Benz CLK 230 Kompressor from the 208 model series. The series made its world premiere in January 1997 at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Studio photo, view of the left side. Photograph from 1997.

Harbinger of the new coupé

The story of the CLK in the public eye began in March 1993. A study by Mercedes-Benz caused a sensation at the Geneva Motor Show: it was an elegant four-seater coupé – and a new vehicle face for the brand, characterised by four eyes: a slender radiator grille, four single, elliptical headlights – two large ones on the outside, two smaller ones on the inside – flanked by strongly modelled mudguards provided food for discussion. This also applied to the “fastback” rear end with its large, glass tailgate: is this what a future vehicle of the brand looks like? “That was exactly the point: to familiarise the public with new design elements,” says Peter Pfeiffer, who at the time played a key role in designing the coupé study alongside head of design Bruno Sacco.

“It was the company’s first ever show car,” says Pfeiffer, classifying the significance of the coupé study. Since then, the brand has systematically used the opportunity of this format to introduce new designs. The four-eyed face first went into series production in 1995 in the E-Class 210 series. The reaction in Geneva to the question of how well a new four-seater coupé with the Mercedes star would be received in the market was unambiguous: there would be a good number of buyers thanks to the way it was presented.

Mercedes-Benz CLK 230 Kompressor from the 208 model series. The series made its world premiere in January 1997 at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Studio photo, front view. Photograph from 1997.

With a four-eyed face to success

The big performance followed almost four years later in Detroit: the CLK – also with a four-eyed face – looked amazingly similar to the study from Geneva and was proof of how close to series production Mercedes-Benz design was long before the start of production. “We are not trying to create a crazy demonstration car packed with nonsensical showmanship that causes short-term astonishment but then disappears into oblivion after only a few motor shows,” Bruno Sacco said.

Technically, the CLK was based on the C-Class Saloon in many respects. In particular, its floor assembly and aggregates were used. However, numerous deviating detail solutions and not least the fundamentally new body design documented the independence of the model series. There was a choice of different design and equipment lines, starting with “Sport” and “Elegance”. The common denominator was a wealth of standard equipment including traction control (TCS), exterior temperature display, leather steering wheel, remote boot lid opening, heat-insulating glass and asymmetrically split folding rear seat backrest to increase boot space. The range of models was broad: it extended from the CLK 200 with a four-cylinder engine (100 kW/136 hp) and six-cylinder models to the top-of-the-range CLK 430 (205 kW/279 hp) and CLK 55 AMG (255 kW/347 hp) models with eight-cylinder engines.

It all paid off: the coupé of the 208 series was very well received. A total of 233,367 units are produced at the Bremen plant within five years until May 2002. That was 65 per cent more vehicles than from the production line of the 124 series coupés over a period of nine years. The most frequently built model was the CLK 320 with 68,778 units. Its successor was the CLK of the 209 series.

The product campaign had its roots at the end of the 1980s

The first CLK made a significant contribution to the success of the first product campaign. The top management, with decision-makers such as Werner Niefer, Helmut Werner and Jürgen Hubbert, had already started to think about this and the dynamisation of the brand by the late 1980s. An impressive harbinger of the product campaign came as early as 1990: the Mercedes-Benz 500 E (W 124). It set an important starting point for the changing image of the brand.

Motorsport also shared in the success: “The desire to dynamise the brand and later to position AMG as the ‘sports badge’ of Mercedes-Benz worked, as you can see today,” is how Norbert Haug, Head of Motorsport from 1990 to 2013, assesses this period in retrospect. “One of our maxims was not to start in racing series where you can lose inconspicuously, because winning there is also inconspicuous. Those interested in sport soon noticed that Mercedes-Benz was daring to try something new.” For the company, this turned into a success story. “The image in terms of excellent reliability, quality and safety was there. Now sportiness was added, which led to extremely positive reactions from the outside and inside, along with the corresponding sales figures.”

The – calculated – risk of the entire product campaign paid off for Mercedes-Benz. The basis for this was and is the passion for the automobile. For more than 135 years as the oldest and strongest luxury car brand in the world.

Mercedes-Benz has gotten off to a good start in the “convertible season” with its updated models. Since spring of 2008, the new generation SL-Class has been carrying on the brand’s unparalleled sports car tradition, which began in 1954 with the legendary “gull-wing” 300 SL. The latest – and now the fifth – generation of the SL-Class has so far been chosen by 145,000 customers.

The world’s most popular premium roadster in its class features a new design emphasizing the car’s sporty character, and it offers even more athletic performance and enhanced comfort and safety. Since the beginning of the year, more than 8,000 customers around the world have purchased SL-Class models. Demand for the SL is particularly high in the U.S., where half of all SL-Class roadsters are sold. The SL 500 is by far the most popular model among customers who choose SLs.

The compact SLK-Class roadster also continues to be very popular among customers: Since the roadster’s market introduction in March 2004, Mercedes-Benz has sold about 200,000 vehicles of the latest production series – 20,000 units in this year alone. Since the beginning of April 2008, Mercedes-Benz has been offering an even sportier SLK generation. The SLK is a particularly admired by German customers. One third of all SLK drivers live in the home market of Mercedes-Benz. In Germany the SLK thus continued to defend its position as the market leader in its segment since the beginning of 2008. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz delivers one fifth of its SLK models to the U.S. The best-selling variant worldwide is the SLK 200 Kompressor.

In July 2008 Mercedes-Benz also delivered the 125,000th convertible of the new CLK-Class to a customer. Since the CLK’s market introduction in 2002, more than 700,000 coupes and convertibles have been purchased by customers worldwide. The most important markets for the CLK are Germany and the United States, and the CLK 350 is the favorite model of CLK drivers worldwide.

With its sporty appearance and sumptuous level of appointments, the immediately available Sport Edition is a new highlight among the Coupés and Cabriolets of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class. 18-inch light-alloy wheels in an exclusive design, AMG styling features in the exterior and bi-xenon headlamps as standard give this special model a particularly distinctive appearance. The sporty, exclusive atmosphere of the interior is especially characterised by the grippy AMG ergonomic sports steering wheel, aluminium-look sports pedals and special velour floor mats.

The letter combination CLK has denoted excitement and driving pleasure for many years. The new “Sport Edition” special model now makes the Coupés and Cabriolets of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class even more desirable. Both externally and in the interior, the Sport Edition further upgrades the CLK models and makes them even more attractive and dynamic.

The exciting design of the CLK-Class is accentuated by muscular AMG styling features for an even more dynamic appearance. These include a front apron with more pronounced contours, as well as the rear apron and side skirts which typify AMG models. Large, 18-inch light-alloy wheels in a new, six twin-spoke design (front 225/40 R 18, rear 255/35 R18) further enhance the sporty appearance and contribute to driving pleasure. The same applies to the perforated front brake discs. The brake callipers of Sport Edition models bear the lettering “Mercedes-Benz”.

The special CLK Sport Edition models are equipped with bi-xenon headlamps including dynamic beam control, cornering lights with an integral foglamp function and a headlamp washer system as standard. The Active Light System is also available as optional equipment. A large, chrome-plated exhaust tailpipe and a special rear silencer provide a sonorous, sporty exhaust note.

Sporty, masculine features

The new Sport Edition is based on the already sporty configuration of the luxurious AVANTGARDE design and equipment line. In models equipped with an automatic transmission, an AMG sports steering wheel with upper sections of perforated leather and steering wheel shift paddles ensures an even more sporty touch. Depending on the engine variant, a further technical highlight is available in the form of the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission, the world’s only car transmission of this kind. Its seven gears can be shifted either automatically, via a manual shift programme or by means of steering wheel shift paddles as in the motor racing world. Moreover, 7G-TRONIC Sport reduces gearshift times by up to 30 percent.

The sporty atmosphere of the interior is accentuated by black upholstery in a combination of high-quality ARTICO man-made leather and fabric. A black leather interior is also available on request. Other sporty touches include a sports pedal cluster with an aluminium look and non-slip studs, as well as velour floor mats with silver-coloured edging.

The special models of the Mercedes-Benz CLK Sport Edition are available as Coupés and Cabriolets, with a choice of six powerful engine variants which are among the most economical in their class.

This attractive enhancement package provides a further individualisation option, and is only available for AVANTGARDE variants of the CLK models. The cost of this sporty equipment package is 3 332 Euro (incl. VAT).

Bolstered by a new V8 engine developing 285 kW/388 hp, the CLK 500 Coupé and Cabriolet models now serve up sports car-esque driving pleasure. The newly developed 5.5-litre V8 engine boasts a peak torque of 530 Nm (outgoing model: 460 Nm), allowing the CLK-Class to deliver a virtuoso performance: the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h takes just 5.2 seconds (outgoing model: 5.9 seconds), while the top speed is 250 km/h (electronically limited). Despite the 26 per cent boost in power, NEDC combined fuel consumption remains at an impressive 11.4 – 11.5 l per 100 km, matching the excellent figure posted by the previous model.