In the 1997 season, Mercedes-Benz in cooperation with AMG entered GT racing and competed in the FIA GT championship. The CLK-GTR developed for this purpose was the first production racing car from Mercedes-Benz with a mid-engine. Externally the vehicle was inspired by the CLK Coupé of the C 208 series, but it featured advanced racing technology and its V12 engine developed around 441 kW (600 hp) with a displacement of six litres. Bernd Schneider won the driver’s title of the 1997 FIA GT Championship in the CLK-GTR, while the brand championship went to AMG-Mercedes.