 In 1996 Mercedes @-@ Benz 's motorsports programmes included support for cars in Formula One , IndyCar , and the International Touring Car Championship ( <unk> ) . Following the collapse of the <unk> at the end of the 1996 season , Mercedes ' attention shifted to a new international series , the FIA GT Championship . Racing partners AMG were tasked with developing a design to meet the Fédération Internationale de l 'Automobile 's GT1 regulations for the new championship . The new cars , known as CLK GTRs , were designed for use both as racing and road cars available to the public , as series regulations required the racing cars to be based on production models . The CLK GTRs were successful in their debut season , winning seven of eleven races and earning both the drivers ' and teams ' championships . 
