[3][4] The removal of the GT1 class from the FIA GT Championship due to the lack of entrants and rising costs meant that Mercedes' GT1 program was brought to a close at the end of 1998.

[6][7] This accelerated development process meant that the CLK GTR was ready for competition just 128 days after work on the design had begun.

35 CLK LM on pole in the third of four qualifying sessions, setting a time of 3:35.544, just over a second ahead of the works Toyota GT-One.

[18] In spite of the disappointing results, Mercedes was pleased with the pace of the CLK LM, fielding the car for the rest of the 1998 FIA GT Championship.

[10][11][19] Klaus Ludwig and Ricardo Zonta captured the drivers title at the conclusion of the 1998 season, along with Mercedes-AMG collecting the constructors.

The road-legal conversion retained much of the race car's characteristics such as the large rear wing, with the interior being very spartan; it lacked furnishings such as upholstery or a second seat.

[10] The repetition of what happened in 1996 with the DTM and ITC forced Mercedes to turn their attention to the newly introduced Le Mans Grand Touring Prototype class, where homologation was not an issue.

[32] The car was presented at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside the CLK LM racecars, after which it was sold to a Japanese collector.

[22] The sole chassis has since made sparse appearances, resurfacing at the 2014 Rétromobile alongside two Mercedes-Benz 300 SL on display by French auction house Classic Sport Leicht, where it was purchased by a European owner.

[36][32] In 2016, the car was put up for sale through the Mercedes-Benz Museum's trading arm, All Time Stars, where it sold for €2 million.