Mercedes-Benz CL-Class

Overview

    For many years, Mercedes-Benz sold 2-door coupe versions of their flagship S-Class, labeled either as 500/600 SEC, or later as S500/S600 Coupes. However, with the new proliferation of models at the company and a switch to an alphabetical class-name system, Mercedes chose to break out the S-Class coupes as a separate model for the 1998 model year, albeit without making any design changes. However, the CL-Class was redesigned two years later alongside their platform-mate, the S-Class. Luxurious and swift grand tourers rather than sports cars, the CLs can be considered to be the ultimate expression of the Mercedes-Benz philosophy. They were only available with 8- and 12-cylinder engines, along with the obligatory AMG versions. The cars long had a market niche all to themselves; the BMW 8-Series was a superb competitor during the 1990s, but it faded away after 1997. Later, the Bentley Continental GT began to move into the segment. The CL-Class models have always been pillarless hardtop coupes, one of the last examples of a genre that once defined the American automotive landscape; long-rumoured cabriolet versions never materialised.

2007-current [C216]

2000-2006 [C215]

1998-1999 [W140]

Previous years