I was talking to my wife today as we were driving and I see a AM Vantage on a tow truck and at one point in the past I thought that was my next car, but I don't think I'll be satisfied with that car. I don't think I want another E55...yet, new RS6 is a BIG maybe (def. won't buy if it's not FI), then tought about CLK DTM (sexy car)...

Anyone have any info?

Aren't they already sold out...?

I think so, but I figure some would make their way into the US, just a guess.

You saw a new Vantage on a truck....?

CLK DTM can be brought into the US (a fair amount of 'used' ones for sale now in Europe and elsewhere) but you'll have to go through an Independent Commercial Importer, pay through the rear money socket, and it will take 3 to 6 months for them to convert and certify the car.

I'd rather go for the GT3 than the new Vantage. It wants to be quick around corners and nimble, but has a lot of luxuries. IMO, its a confused car. You don't put luxuries into a car that eats corners. Luxury = weight

Wow dude, from RS6 thinking to a 357,000$ DTM......now that's thinking BIG.

http://www.plazamotorsaz.net/96mercedes_cclass.htm

I think Laguna Niguel MB has one too... not sure if it's for sale or not, but it looks HOT!

Jerry

RS6 to CLK DTM that is quite a jump.

As described above you can certainly buy a used one in Europe and convert it to US specs on a limited use permit.

It is quite expensive to say the least but would be quite the addition to any garage!

LN has one and according to their sales people it is not for sale....

Schiz

Laguna Niguel has one DTM on showroom floor. From coversation with it's owner, he brought it over and got it certified locally in OC.

If you are interested call LNMB and ask for Jeffrey Spellen.

A friend from Miami bought one in Euorpe for less than $300k. I believe it is already on its way to FL. Expect to see a silver CLK-DTM driving around Ocean Blvd soon. We also mentioned bringing this car to the next Player's Run.

He lives over in Biscayne Pointe? His house is 3 streets down from me.... It's been here for quite a few months already. I believe it was the first one in the US. There are now a total of 5 certified for US use.

I've found a few in the 280-310K range and have been looking for about 3 months but these were very high-mileage cars *12,000-22,000 km* I think the federalizing could be by-passed due to the fact that 99.99% of people have no clue what the difference is between a CLK55 and a CLK DTM. You could just state that it is a CLK55 with a DTM kit If they start to ask questions… Money talks in most cases.

Alex, don't tell me you're getting bored with the M already!! How about just wait for the new 997 TT?

Rather hard to register a car without a US title or pinkslip. The DMV also checks the VIN number to ensure that the car is indeed what the title states.

Its not as simple as hoping the person overlooks the fact that it is a Euro spec car.

The DMV gets ticked off here in california if you try to register a car from out of state without a COP (cert of production) so I doubt they would let a DTM slip by.

I think you'd be extremely surprised how many "Non-Certified" Exotics there are in SF... Koenigseggs, CLK-GTR, Zonda S, Spykers, even a Ascari on display at one of the dealers and I doubt all of them have the proper certification.

For example, This was actually pretty common with the Euro 360 and many of them sold in the US w/o proper conversions and paperwork, however, later on the owners were screwed when the dealers wouldn't honor the warranty. So I'm sure that many people are not the vigilantes that you perceive them to be.

Uh, Hello? As soon as it hits the port in the US (and customs) an application from the iCI is going to have to be handed over for the car to leave the port and customs. The owner of the car (or anyone else) doesn't get to take the car. ONLY the ICI can take the car. They then have to certify to the government that the compliance modifications have been done and tested to be in compliance...THEN the car is released to the owner (under Show and Display or whatever) and can be registered, etc.
IF one could smuggle the car into the US, IF, then the car would be shredded the first time someone pulled it over.

Agreed; talk to Bill Gates about that one. I think his Porsche 959 was in impound for 2-3 years, as both Porsche and Ferrari took the stance that their supercars were so sophisticated that no mere non-factory "mortal" could properly federalize one. Although this was before "Show & Display" took effect, it demonstrates that the Feds mean business and are taking a no-exceptions policy towards this.

That is not it. Last I spoke to him 2 weeks ago, it is still on its way to FL. My friend looks like Fabio with a Governator accent. He used to drive around in a white 996 GT3RS - real RS.

I agree. You'd be surprise how easy it is to get a registration for any exotic cars, especially in FL. An exotic car FL dealer told me once, pick any car and he can get it registered. Just be prepared to open your checkbook.

No no...I love the M, AWESOME daily driver, but wanted something else next to the M in my garage. I was thinking CLK DTM because of its exclusivity.

The RS6 was a thought folks, was just thinking out loud. I figured RS6 would be the newest "super sedan" if it comes out, then the cycle begins again...E, M, RS, E, M, RS, and so on.

997TT I'm being told by the local "stealerships" that the wait is already sitting at over 6 months after release of car.

Hey Alex, CLK DTM is definitely exclusive but if you add another 100K you can get an SLR

It's actually not that bad from what I've looked into... We're talking about 10-18K for all of the proper modifications. I was also "quoted" 3K to be shuffled through the system

Was he on the Players Run? I thought that he flew that car in from Belgium or somewhere else in Europe.

Yep, that's Peter's car. He said he'll bring the CLK-GTR to the next Player's Run in June.

I was in the yellow Diablo SV.

I was in the Gwagen...

But Peter's RS car isn't in the US is it? I thought he flew it over here just for the Run?

Any idea where the PR will be next year? I've already signed up but haven't heard anything. You running the SV again?