northbenz

Looks like lowly Peugeot has trumped Mercedes by coming out with the first European 4 seat cabriolet to feature a folding hardtop. See details on page 2 of the CLK Cabrio Spy Pics post below.

sinbat

I was at the delivery center in Sindelfingen, Germany on Friday to take the delivery of my new CLK. When I took the factory tour in at plant, I actually saw the prototype of the CLK convertible parked on their lot(the exact same one from the spy picture on the net). I think that the convertible CLK will have a soft top if I am not mistaken from what I saw. However, I was not able to take picture for it was prohibited. One guy did and took down some note. At the end of the tour, the security was there at the gate to meet him.

northbenz

Just curious, did security take his film or if it was a digital camera what did they do? I'm surprised they wouldn't let pictures be taken outside. When I was there in August all I recall the guides warning about was taking photos in the factory itself. By the way is the C class final assembly line still the only one available for tour in Sindelgingen or did you get to see the new E or S class being built. (I assume the CLK is put together in Bremmen if I recall correctly?) How was the rest of your trip - did you get to drive your new CLK in Europe?

sinbat

The trip was great. I got to drive the CLK to Baden Baden and Strasbourg. At the delivery center, the guy took picture inside and outside the factory tour. In addition, he also took a whole bunch of notes. You are correct about the CLK. According to the guide, it was made in Bremmen. And also the C-class production was the only one shown in the tour. However, I got to see the assembly of the S-Class hood but that was it. At the end when I took the delivery of my CLK, the American guy just handed me the keys to the car without explaining anything about it because I told him that my previous car was the last year's CLK. Strange...

Callaway

100% sure that CLK will be soft top as I know from my German MB factory mate who works in the design offices that it is impossible to fit the Vario roof into the boot and still have enought room for usable luggage space-the boot is just too small.

Hense the soft top option only.

Record the date and time I told you this!!

northbenz

Looks like styling of the CLK would have had to have been modified with a longer rear. Since it would hardly be expected that Mercedes will allow Peugot and BMW to have a corner on the market of 4 seat European Cabrios with folding hard tops, the obvious answer appears to be that we will be seeing an E Class cabrio with the folding hard top.

By the way, I was in Canada last week and the dealer there emphatically claimed that the new CLK Cabrio will be a soft top. Interestingly, the US dealers (salespersons anyway) claimed complete ignorance. It seems the first rule to being a Mercedes salesman is to take an oath that you will see no future, hear no future, and say no future regarding upcoming changes or improvements in cars already on the lot.

Callaway

The Canadian dealer is correct!!!

Need proof?
Check out the latest addition to MB Spy.

http://mbspy.bacosys.be/index2.html

FrankW

and you were supriced???

that's not just the rule for the salesman, it's a rule from every american man. "tell lies and half truths"

Noah Miller

the a209 clk cabriolet will definatley have a soft canvas top. In all of the spy picture, besides the fact that there's a soft top in them, you can see the line right behind where the top meets the metal, where the tonneau cover ends. As with the a208 clk convertable, the tonneau cover with the two bumps in it is only about a foot long and 2.5 feet wide, this is clearly too small for an extremely large roof to go into.

FrankW

it's going to be a soft top. this picture clearly shows it's a soft top

tango

still a pimp car even if its soft top

Callaway

The above photo is a fake-it has been photoshopped.

Check out the MB Spy website for proof.

http://mbspy.bacosys.be/a209fake.htm


However,I hate to sound like a know-it-all but check out the bit of news from the Auto Spies site.

http://www.imakenews.com/autospies/e...e000112914.cfm

See the reason why it's a soft top.

Sound familiar?

Check out my first post on this thread and the date.

Told you so!!

FrankW

which photo?...the one i posted?...

that's a more recent photo i got from mbspy...i'm sure it's photoshoped somewhere in the picture. But it's not the obvious picture that you posted in the link.

Callaway

Sorry I mean't this link:

http://mbspy.bacosys.be/a209.htm

You will find that photo there (which on second glance may not have been photoshopped) but is still a very good indication of how it will look.

woodyww

'Auto Spies' says DEFINITELY a soft top for the reasons above AND the fact that M-B is experiencing "service nightmares" with the current SL retractable. From my personal experience, on the last two occasions I have been at my dealer for routine service for one of my vehicles, I have see one to two SL's having their retractable tops being worked on by a team of at least two mechanics. Hmmm.

newguy2008

Did anyone buy the hardtop for their cabrio?

northbenz

Newguy - I see you have resurrected this thread from the past. Obviously no one has the hardtop because all the rumors that it would be fitted to the CLK (W209) proved wrong. Be that as it may, I have heard talk again that the idea of adding a folding hardtop to the next generation CLK is alive and well. Time will only tell.

newguy2008

Now that I have read the entire thread, I was asking the wrong thing here. What I should have asked was, is there a hardtop option that can be purchased for the 2002 model CLK at the dealership? Am I wrong to think that the CLK has an optional hardtop and cradle like the BMWs?

northbenz

Dare we speculate again that the 2008/9 CLK redesign may in fact finally include a folding hardtop for the cabrio? It is all but confirmed that BMW's new 3 series convertible coming out in 2007 (probably as a 2008 model) will have a folding hardtop. Interestingly for the first time ever BMW is now offering an all wheel drive coupe (328xi). Since it will be the basis for the convertible it may well be that BMW will trump all the competition by offering the first folding hardtop 4 seat convertible with all wheel drive. Such an offering would be a no brainer given the appeal of the folding hardtop convertible in the first place goes beyond the sun states and southern countries to entice buyers from northern climes where AWD is a big selling point. Somewhere I believe I read that Mercedes is considering adding 4Matic to the CLK too. If that is true maybe we will see a 4 seat folding hardtop CLK Cabrio with 4-Matic! Given the fierce rivalry between BMW and Mercedes (witness the horsepower wars) it is hard to imagine that Mercedes is going to allow BMW to one up them by Mercedes failing to offer the folding hardtop in a four seater.