by The Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR has found itself at the center of a sensational story—this time, not on the track, but in a real criminal case. In the United States, the FBI confiscated one of the planet’s rarest supercars, which belonged to a former Canadian Olympian. It concerns a 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster—one of only six convertible models ever produced.
According to the investigation, the former athlete, after finishing his career, became the center of a large-scale case concerning the creation of a transnational drug cartel with an annual turnover of over one billion dollars. He is currently wanted, and a reward of $15 million has been announced for information leading to his arrest. It was during this investigation that FBI agents tracked down a collection of luxury cars, among which was the unique CLK-GTR.
The car is valued at approximately $13 million. This is not just a rare supercar, but essentially a road-going version of the GT1 race prototype, created solely for homologation purposes. Under the hood is a 6.9-liter V12 with over 600 horsepower, a sequential gearbox, and a 0-60 mph time of less than four seconds. For many collectors, this is one of the most valuable creations of the German automotive industry, which has maintained its iconic status for years.
According to American media reports, the confiscated supercar will most likely be put up for auction. And if that happens, this specimen could set a new price record: demand for the CLK-GTR remains consistently high, and Roadsters in the world are essentially single-digit units.
The story reads like it was written by action movie screenwriters: an Olympian, a shadowy business with billion-dollar profits, an FBI manhunt, and a super-rare Mercedes-Benz that found itself in the role of a silent witness. But for the automotive world, this is another reminder: even the most exclusive cars have incredible, and sometimes very dark, histories.
