A rarity. Like seeing Halley’s Comet in the sky or a total solar eclipse. Millions will spend their lives longing to see one, incredulous that such a machine could have been created by man, even though it exists and roams the world: the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster, one of the most exclusive and extreme cars humanity has ever known.
It’s a race car made for the street. A rocket on wheels that accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in four seconds and can reach 320 km/h. On the outside, its materials are the same as those of a private jet; inside, it has delicate seats upholstered in ultra-fine leather. Its current value is around $13 million.
But having the equivalent of 237 million pesos in your wallet isn’t enough: the manufacturer can condition the sale based on variables such as the buyer’s personal wealth, fame, and prestige. For example, superstar Drake, one of the world’s richest rappers, never had one in his garage, despite his net worth exceeding $400 million, according to celebritynetworth.com.
The Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR is so rare that there are only six in the world. Five owners remain anonymous, and one is known: former Olympic athlete Ryan Wedding, who, by owning it, brought him closer to two different but increasingly familiar worlds: extreme luxury and ferocious track performance. Oh! And to a third world: that of organized crime, specifically, the empire of Los Chapitos.
