The standard CLK is not the most exciting car in the Mercedes range. It sits in the mix like Peter sits in the Fonda family. Or that other bloke who wasn’t Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton in the Jam.
It’s based on the old C-class saloon, which means it’s not as nice to drive as the current C-class saloon. And to make it even less appealing, it has fewer doors, less space inside and is considerably more expensive. This wouldn’t be so bad if it were a looker, but it’s a bit like the girl next door’s plump sister.
On paper, the Black looks like even more of a cockup. Because they’ve removed most of the luxury trimmings and the rear seats found in the normal 63 AMG version, and this has somehow made the car heavier. And then they’ve added a whopping £34,000 to the standard car’s already eyewatering list price of £66,000.
For sheer excitement, the CLK Black is a match for absolutely anything. Since it went back to Mercedes, I have been thinking about it a lot. Because I’m not sure that anyone’s life is quite complete unless they have one.