Mercedes CLK500: German Muscle Car? Shooting Brake’s UK Road Review

https://shootingbrake.com/Listing/Details/33927 Mercedes-Benz has a long history of compact, elegant, pillarless Coupes. Typically four-seaters with generous luggage and rear seat compartments, these Coupes are arguably the ultimate expression of the Mercedes-Benz brand - comfortable, beautiful, unpretentious, and above all, reliable. The lineage briefly stopped with the introduction of the original C208 CLK, which lost its true pillarless construction in favour for a sportier image. An appealing proposition in V8 form and by all means a strong seller, critics nonetheless felt the chassis dynamics didn’t live up to the image, and build quality was sometimes lacking. The fully revised C209 CLK was Mercedes-Benz’s answer to those criticisms. The opulent fully pillarless construction returned, and bought with it rack & pinion steering plus a new 5.0 V8 with 302BHP. Priced similarly to an E46 M3 when new, the CLK500 offered bruising power and genuine GT credentials. As you can imagine, it’s airy and opulent to be in, and emminently relaxing to waft around in - but what’s it actually like to drive? Ghaleb’s here to find out, and as you’re about to see, this example is hiding a fun surprise… If you fancy ULEZ & CAZ compliant V8 power for BMW straight six money, head on over to https://shootingbrake.com/Listing/Details/33927 to place your bid on this stunning Mercedes Benz C209 CLK500. 100+ detailed photographs, a comprehensive description and a Q&A service with the seller means you can bid in confidence and get this very car on your driveway. Filmed, edited and produced by Iftikhar Khan Directed, written and presented by Ghaleb Rahim

Added 20 May 2026