Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM

Subject:
Mercedes-Benz
CLK DTM 2000
Kit Used: Tamiya 1/24th Scale

Model by:
Bob Blevins
Story & Pictures: R. Forys

In 1984, a new auto racing series was created in Germany called the German Touring Car Masters, or DTM. It called for using production based Group A touring cars on tracks primarily in Germany, but also in other European countries using a well conceived handicap system. The first 12-race season was won by Volker Strycek in a BMW 635 CSi.

[The German Touring Car Masters, or DTM has now become Europe's most popular touring car race series.]

Over the next 12 years, the series grew immensely in popularity, but the cars also became incredibly more high tech and expensive. In 1995 the DTM was completely replaced by the ITC, which used a totally different, and technically complex Class 1 car. The cost of racing these cars was so high that Opel and Alfa Romeo announced their withdrawal at the season's end. This brought the entire series to a grinding halt.

[The cars are touring cars, with a stock looking body, but a total racing chassis and interior.]

In 2000, after a three-year break, the DTM celebrated a successful comeback with some new rules and specs in place. The cars were considerably cheaper touring cars, with a stock looking body, but a total racing chassis and interior. All cars had rear wheel drive and 4.0 L V8 engines which were air-restricted to 470 hp. Many common parts like transmissions, brakes, and tires from third party specialists were also standardized across all manufactures' cars to keep costs down and reduce the performance gap between teams. Aerodynamic configurations were even tested in wind tunnels before the season, brought to an equal level, and kept that way throughout the season.

[Rear end view. The number and complexity of the decals is evident here.]

A total of 19 cars were entered from Mercedes-Benz, Opel Astra, and Audi based teams in 2000, and after a full season of exciting tight racing, Bernd Schneider won the championship in a Mercedes. The new DTM race format was simular to before the break: two races of 100 kilometres, with a short break between them. In 2001 and 2002 there was a short race of 35 kilometres followed by a long race of 100 kilometres, which included one pit stop and gave points for the top 10 as in earlier seasons, but since 2003 it has been changed to only one race, with a distance of about 170 kilometres. The series has easily regained its popularity, and has now become Europe's most popular touring car race series, and maybe even one of Europe's largest sporting events.

[Most of the body except for the roof and door panels was completely remade with carbon fiber on the real race car.]

The subject of our article, the Mercedes-Benz CLK as used in the renewed 2000 season, looked very similar to a production model, however most of the body except for the roof and door panels was completely remade with carbon fiber, and it was powered by a normally aspirated 450hp V8 engine, instead of the supercharged 5.4 litre V8, producing 582hp. There were four Mercedes-Benz CLK teams that year, each with two cars, of which Team Original-Teile AMG had the most unique paint job.

The paint scheme on the Team Original-Teile AMG cars was a reproduction of an actual Mercedes parts box, complete with official package stickers, identical to those found on a real car parts box. On the front of the car, the engine is depicted as ripping out of its package. The drivers for the team in 2000 were Peter Dumbreck and Marcel Tiemann, who finished 8th and 10th respectively in the championship.

[On the front of the car, the engine is depicted as ripping out of its package.]

The Kit: What can you say? This is another beautiful racing replica from Tamiya. It has the quality and accuracy that you come to expect from this company. The instructions are fine, but the detail, ease of assembly and great fit of parts make this kit a dream to build. The only thing added to the stock kit was a Scale Motorsport racing harness. Keeping it in the family, the body was painted with Tamiya (AS-20), US Navy Insignia White. By far, the most difficult part of the project was the over sixty decals that were applied to the body! Bob tells us, "I used a lot of MicroSet!"