Mercedes-Benz CL600

Mercedes-Benz CL 600 at a glance

CL 600 generations compared

The second-generation car had less power than the first: the 5.8-litre M137 made 20 kW less than the M120. The biturbo engine of 2003 then added 98 kW and 270 Nm to the M137, a jump of about 36 percent in power. Our power converter shows any of these outputs in PS or hp.

C140 (1992–1998): 600 SEC, S 600 Coupé, CL 600

The coupé based on the W140 S-Class premiered at the Detroit motor show in January 1992 and appeared at Geneva two months later. Bruno Sacco's team had approved its design in late 1987 or early 1988. The V12 600 SEC went on sale in October 1992 as the first Mercedes coupé with twelve cylinders. It had no B-pillar between the side windows, and its doors and boot lid closed with power assistance.

The M120 V12 produced 290 kW (394 PS) at 5,200 rpm and 570 Nm at 3,800 rpm. Mercedes quoted 6.1 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and limited the top speed to 250 km/h. In May 1995 an electronically controlled five-speed automatic replaced the earlier transmission, and the S 600 Coupé became the first Mercedes with the ESP stability system.

The names changed twice. The 600 SEC was built from October 1992 to May 1993, the S 600 Coupé from June 1993 to May 1996 and the CL 600 from June 1996 to September 1998. At the 1996 update, Parking sensors sensors in the bumpers replaced the parking guide rods on the rear wings. Of 26,022 C140 coupés, 8,573 had the V12.

C215 (1999–2006): Active Body Control and biturbo V12

The second CL followed the W220 S-Class, which had launched in Europe in late 1998. It kept the pillarless side windows and the 250 km/h limit. Its key new feature was Active Body Control (ABC), a fully active suspension that works with hydraulic rams. The C215 was the first Mercedes with it.

The first CL 600 of this series used the 5.8-litre M137 V12 with 270 kW and 530 Nm and reached 100 km/h in 6.3 seconds. In 2003 the twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre M275 took over. With 368 kW and 800 Nm from 1,800 to 3,500 rpm, it cut the sprint to 4.8 seconds. Production stayed small at about 200 cars a year worldwide. Above it, AMG built 196 CL 65 AMGs with a 6.0-litre biturbo V12 rated at 450 kW and 1,000 Nm.

C216 (2006–2014): 380 kW and the end of the CL name

The third generation was unveiled at the end of June 2006 and displayed in Paris that autumn. It weighed 2,045 kg, more than the equivalent S-Class saloon. Its biturbo V12 now delivered 380 kW (517 PS) and 830 Nm. Mercedes quoted 4.4 seconds to 100 km/h, while Road & Track measured 4.1.

A facelift was revealed at Goodwood in July 2010. Production ended in 2013 for Europe and in 2014 for the United States. In 2015 Mercedes dropped the CL name and returned to "S-Class Coupé" for the C217 successor.

How the CL 600 fits the Mercedes line-up

Around the CL 600 sat a few very small series. The C215 range included 55 CL 55 AMG F1 Editions and 26 CL 63 AMGs, and in 2007 Mercedes sold 40 CL 65 AMG 40th Anniversary Editions. Sales of the whole CL range were modest: in the United States 3,748 CLs found buyers in 2001, and fewer than 1,400 in North America in 2006. In the C140 series the V12 accounted for about a third of the 26,022 coupés.

Mercedes also used twelve-cylinder engines outside the S-Class family. The G65 AMG was the only series-built V12 G-Class. Our S-Class guide covers the saloons on which every CL 600 was based.

Photo gallery