Mercedes CLK LM engine

Mercedes CLK LM engine

Product Overview

For sale is a genuine 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK LM Le Mans GT racing engine, type M119.GT108B — the naturally aspirated 4,986cc V8 from one of the most exclusive and historically significant racing cars ever produced by Mercedes-Benz. The CLK LM was built specifically to contest the GT1 class at the 1997 and 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours, with only five examples ever constructed. This engine has been checked and verified by Mercedes-Benz Racing and a CLK LM specialist, with all parts confirmed as original and usable.

The engine is present in its block and ancillary form. Crank, camshafts, connecting rods, and pistons are not included but can be sourced — as can the original airbox and mufflers. The engine is offered as an exceptional opportunity for a full rebuild, museum or showroom display, or parts acquisition — and represents one of the rarest pieces of Mercedes-Benz and Le Mans racing history available anywhere on the open market.

Engine Specification

About the Mercedes-Benz CLK LM and the M119 GT Engine

The Mercedes-Benz CLK LM was produced exclusively for the FIA GT1 class at Le Mans — a homologation-exempt racing car built to compete at the highest level of GT endurance racing during a period when Le Mans was attracting the most serious factory efforts in the sport’s modern history. With only five cars ever built, the CLK LM is one of the rarest factory racing cars in existence, produced during a period when Mercedes-Benz was committing its full engineering and financial resources to reclaiming Le Mans glory following the landmark 1989 Sauber-Mercedes victory.

The M119.GT108B is the race-specification development of Mercedes-Benz’s M119 V8 — the engine family that underpinned the SL600 and 500SL road cars of the era, transformed into a high-revving, naturally aspirated racing unit producing output figures appropriate for the GT1 class competition requirements. In the CLK LM’s mid-engine configuration, the M119 GT powered a car capable of matching the prototype-class machinery of its era in straight-line speed, while operating within the GT1 regulations that required a recognisable production car silhouette.

The CLK LM programme — though ultimately unsuccessful at Le Mans in its target years — represents one of the most ambitious and technically sophisticated factory GT racing efforts of the late 1990s, and the cars and their components have become objects of intense interest to serious collectors of motorsport history. An engine from one of these five cars — verified by MB Racing and a CLK LM specialist — is an acquisition of historical and cultural significance that goes far beyond its mechanical value alone.

Suitable Applications

• Full rebuild — the engine block and all ancillaries are present and usable; the missing rotating assembly can be sourced by a specialist. A complete M119.GT108B rebuild is achievable with the right workshop and parts programme
• Museum or showroom display — a CLK LM engine is a centrepiece-level motorsport artefact for any private collection, manufacturer museum, or prestige showroom requiring an authentic piece of late 1990s Le Mans GT racing history
• Parts acquisition — original CLK LM engine parts are individually rare and valuable; buyers sourcing specific components for a CLK LM restoration or repair programme will find this engine a significant source
• Racing history collectors — any serious collector of Mercedes-Benz competition history, Le Mans GT class machinery, or 1990s factory endurance racing artefacts

Purchasing & Enquiries

This 1998 Mercedes CLK LM Le Mans GT racing engine, type M119.GT108B, is available for immediate sale. All present parts are original and usable as confirmed by Mercedes-Benz Racing and a CLK LM specialist. Rotating assembly (crank, cams, rods, pistons) not included but can be sourced. Airbox and mufflers also available