When passion for motorsport meets the precision of aviation engineering, the results often border on the impossible. Johan Ackerman, a South African specialist in aircraft air conditioning systems, proved that there are no unconquerable peaks for a true enthusiast, transforming a modest Mercedes-Benz E-Class into a stunning replica of the iconic Mercedes-AMG CLK GTR Strassenversion.
The project, which took nearly three years of 24-hour work, began in an unconventional way - with a large-scale radio-controlled toy that served as a model for calculating the proportions. However, the path to perfection is littered with obstacles. The construction of the roof, for example, becomes a real test of the engineer's patience, requiring five complete revisions until the desired silhouette is achieved. The entire chassis of the future supercar was designed from scratch, far from the standards of mass production.
The heart of the machine is a real masterpiece - an original 6.9-liter V12 engine from Mercedes, similar to the unit in the authentic racer. Although its power of 502 horsepower is slightly lower than that of the original, it is quite enough to provide proper dynamics. Another interesting solution is that the traction is transmitted to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission from Audi. One of the biggest technical challenges turned out to be the implementation of individual throttle valves, which required a complete reconfiguration of the fuel system and ignition, as well as solving serious cooling problems by manufacturing a unique expansion tank.
In order for the behavior on the road to be at the level of the appearance, the engineer relies on a hybrid suspension - a combination of springs from the Mercedes-Benz GLE and sports shock absorbers of the “coilover“ type. An interesting detail is that the creator decided to avoid legal disputes with the German giant by giving his creation the original name ELK GTR. The result is a car that does not simply imitate the legend, but carries within itself the spirit of individual craftsmanship and engineering genius.