End of an Era: Carlsson Ceases Operations
Legendary Mercedes tuner Carlsson may officially be over, according to numerous sources. Here are our Top 4 favorites!
As a tuning company, Carlsson needs no introduction. While they might not be as prolific as Brabus, or as connected as AMG, their cars and their products are the stuff of legends. Because of their low-volume ability to pivot, Carlsson actually had a more active road racing roster than AMG in the 80’s and 90s.
Unfortunately, that run of fun has ended. According to mercedes-fans.de the company has now been shut down. This closure apparently happened some time in September of 2023. And as of the time of writing this farewell, on October 14th, Carlsson’s website is no longer operational.
Since 2015, Carlsson has been owned by South Korean company Sambo Motors. Sambo Motors is a supplier to the South Korean auto industry and has ties with Hyundai and Kia, which potentially made the venture for Mercedes unfruitful. Sambo Motors still retains naming rights to Carlsson, and so someone could come in and scoop it up, or it may be a name retired to the history books forever.
Because of this sad news, we wanted to take a moment to look at a few of the most interesting Carlsson creations. There’s no rhyme or reason. We just think they are neat, and hope you do too.
1. Nurburgring 24H R170
Carlsson got its name from Swedish rally driver, Ingvar Carlsson. He ran a factory Mercedes SLC in rally races, and that motorsport tie-in continued through Carlsson’s early years.
This R170 was actually a road registered car before being converted to race in the 24 hours of Nurburgring in 1999. An all female driver lineup entered the car in the Roadster 2000 class, and finish ed 1st in class and 7th overall as noted by Bonhams.
2. CLK RS W208
Carlsson was also known – arguably best known – for their road cars. And the CLK RS is no exception. Powered by a 6 liter V8 dubbed the CM60, it had 405 horsepower in 2001. According to Supercars.net, it was prepared for the Paris Auto Show where Carlsson was ready to stun the world with their performance and visuals.
Interior accents in leather and carbon fiber are aplenty, and their signature exterior styling would carry on to numerous other models of the era.
3. C25 R230
In order to flex their muscle even more, Carlsson took the R230 and went crazy with carbon fiber. The results are impressive though. By ditching an SL65’s retractable hardtop and sticking a solid top on there and make the entire body in the black woven stuff, they were able to reduce the weight by 100kg.
More importantly, they fettled with the engine and gave it 753 horsepower and 850 torque according to Evo Magazine. All of this work resulted in a top speed of 223 miles per hour. Wild.
4. CK65 Eau Rouge
Equally wild is the CK65 Eau Rogue. Despite the motorsport name, there’s nothing motorsport related about it. Carlsson had decided to flex their muscle with interior and exterior styling.
Teaming up with Etienne Aigner, Carlsson totally redid the interior with Aigner leather and Alcantara adorned throughout. According to TopSpeed the exterior two-tone is not just striking, but functional. Carbon fiber lips and spoilers are meant to aid the car’s high speed handling.
Photos: Supercars.net, Bonhams, Evo Magazine, TopSpeed.com
Join the MB World forums now!
