Market Intelligence
Porsche 911 GT1 and Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR. Faster at Le Mans or at the Auctions?
The Porsche 911 GT1 and the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR were created in the late 90s to compete in the GT1 class at Le Mans. Both models were limited to just 25 street-legal versions, and their technical characteristics and prices differed greatly. The Mercedes dominated on the track, winning all races in 1997, while the Porsche won in 1998. As rare collectibles, both cars have sold for millions of dollars at auction, with a Mercedes CLK GTR selling for $4.5 million in 2018 and a Porsche 911 GT1 selling for $5.7 million in 2017.
Question: What do the Bentley Blower, Jaguar D-Type, Ferrari 250 GTO, Ford GT40 and McLaren F1 have in common? Answer.
Two things: the first is that they’re worth a fortune. The second is that all these cars claimed success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The history of the cars I want to talk about today stems from a simple rule introduced in 1995 by the FIA and the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the organizer of Le Mans), that states that all cars competing in the GT1 class would have to be transformations of street legal cars. Thank you, Le Mans, for giving us two of the most fascinating cars of the late 90s: the Porsche 911 GT1 and the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR.
