Mercedes bringing hot new CLA variants to Frankfurt
Wed, 04 Sep 2013
On any given weekend, you can expect to see the Three-Pointed Star racing somewhere. It could be in Formula One, DTM, V8 Supercars or any of the myriad sportscar racing series where customer teams compete in the SLS AMG GT3. But now it looks like Mercedes-Benz is gearing up to add one more.
This time, it's based on one of its newest and smallest models: the CLA-Class. The concept racecar you see here, revealed on AMG's Facebook page, is based on the CLA45 AMG but features such motorsports-minded upgrades as a competition-spec aero kit, rolling stock, carbon-fiber body panels and stripped-out interior. You can bet its oily bits have been tinkered with as well, but Mercedes is staying mum on the details, as the drivetrain will have to be adapted to whatever regulations with which it would need to comply.
Mercedes calls it the CLA45 AMG Racing Series, suggesting the car could be used as the basis for a spec series all its own. We hope to find out more next week when the car is unveiled in the flesh at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but in the meantime, you can scope out the images in the gallery above.
At the same time, Mercedes also revealed on Facebook its CLA250 Sport, a pseudo-performance version for the road that will likely slot in below the CLA45 AMG and may or may not be coming to the US.
By Noah Joseph