Hello Petrolheads! Soon, I will be writing about my 2003 Merc CL 55, but because this is a truly special car, will write about its context beforehand. This generation CL, internally known as the C215, was launched in 1999, as the coupé version of the, in 1998 new, W220 S-Class. Because the main premises when developing the W220 were to reduce the… excesses, so to speak, of its W140 predecessor – I actually reckon the W140 to be Daimler’s peak – the main requisites were to add lightness, not only literally, but especially to the overall image, which also meant reducing the dimensions a bit. That, actually, was a good thing.   To do so, and in spite of a lot of new added technology – which also adds weight – Daimler went exploring alternative materials for the body-in-white, namely, extensive use of aluminium and also some bits of magnesium and plastic. The CL, being based on the S, went down the very same approach: its platform was still made out of steel, but the rest was...