The FBI Just Seized One Of The World's Rarest Supercars

Ultra-Rare Sports Car Snagged As Proceeds Of Crime

The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR is one of the wild machines that arrived during what might have been the peak of sports car racing. During the late 1990s, automakers flush with cash were developing ever more extreme cars to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Because the rules at the time said they had to, automakers would then build a handful for the road.

It's how we ended up with cars like the Porsche 911 GT1, Nissan R390, and the McLaren F1 GTR. And, of course, the Mercedes-Benz version. The car didn't win Le Mans, but it did take home several endurance race wins in 1997. And no, this isn't the one that famously flipped so many times. That was the CLR that came later.

Mercedes-Benz only built 28 CLK GTR road cars, and only six of those, depending on the source, were roadsters like this one. They all came with a 6.9-liter V12 making 622 horsepower and 539 pound-feet, and all sent their power through a six-speed sequential box to the rear tires. The top speed was more than 200 miles per hour.

With one of these CLK GTR roadsters selling for $10m just two years ago, it shows just how rare and valuable the cars are. And makes it even more astonishing that an Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin had managed to get one.

One Of Six Cars Means Big Confusion

Ryan Wedding is allegedly an international drug trafficker on the level of Pablo Escobar or El Chapo Guzman, Justice Department officials have said. The Attorney General has said his empire was responsible for more than $1 billion a year in illegal profits. That's 60 tons of cocaine per year, the government said.

We're trying to figure out which of the six chassis this is. One is right-hand drive and one is painted black, which narrows it down even more. There are some car dealers associated with this seizure, but none of them have listed one for sale or as sold. There's one currently for sale through a collection in Saudi Arabia, which narrows it even more.

The feds also have an interesting way that you could buy the car. The government is offering a $15 million reward for information that leads to the arrest of Wedding. They believe he is living in Mexico and evading authorities. That $15 million would put you very close to buying this ultra-rare car if the feds make their case and put it up for auction. Though the story that goes along with it might seriously raise its value. And heck, it could end up as the wildest cop car ever.