Mercedes-Benz

The DTM Championship (for Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) has been one of the most interesting and followed motorsport events over the years, with legendary cars of the likes of the E30 M3, 190 Evo, and 155 V6. In 2003, Mercedes-Benz won the championship with Bernd Schneider, and decided to produce a limited-edition, street-legal version of the race car as a way to celebrate this victory. With wider wheel arches resembling those of the race car, a carbon fibre spoiler, bucket seats and a supercharged V8 mated to the rear wheels, just one hundred examples of the CLK DTM AMG Coupe were ever made. These were sold out as soon as they were announced, and the car was so well received that many racing drivers owned one, such as Juan Pablo Montoya, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikonnen, and Jenson Button. The success of this limited-edition supercar was such that Mercedes decided to build a topless version, this time at around 80 examples for the world. Unlike the coupe, which was a two-seater, the convertible had four seats, and was just like its closed top sibling, capable of reaching a top speed in excess of 320 km/h. With its 580 horsepower, the 0-100 time was just of around four seconds. Thanks to the supercharger, the acceleration is still very impressive 16 years on, and feels almost close to that of an airplane taking off.