Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 takes on the Cape 1000

The Citizen

6 days ago

Set in the Western Cape, the annual Cape 1000 is fast becoming a go-to event on the international motoring calendar. We borrowed an appropriate set of wheels and tagged along on the 2025 event. Here's Alex Shahini's experience.
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'Welcome to the thousand' were the first words my navigator, Sam, and I heard upon entering the parking lot of the Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant. The registration point for the annual Cape 1000 rally, Sunday's Show & Shine gathering, represents one of the most spectacular collections of rare automotive machinery in South Africa. Although this Western Cape-based rally may still be in its infancy, it has grown in popularity and proudly claims to be 'South Africa's most beautiful drive'.
'My husband, Ross, started the Round Table Cannonball Run Africa in 2003, which brought about the establishment of the Super Car Lifestyle events company,' says Cape 1000 co-founder Vanessa Crighton. 'He conceptualised the Concours South Africa and many supercar tours before an accident he was involved in December 2014 prompted me to join him in his passion for bringing like-minded car enthusiasts together.
'Having researched overseas regularity rallies like Italy's famous Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles), and appreciating the spectacular scenery the Western Cape has to offer, we came up with the concept of Cape 1000. We had no idea that it would explode like it has,' continues Crighton.
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The inaugural Cape 1000 in 2022 saw 40 classic and exotic cars navigate a 1000-mile (1 600km) route, taking in some of the Western Cape's finest roads, mountain passes and destinations. The four-day event that quickly drew the attention of excited onlookers included several timed events in the interest of friendly competition. Arriving at the Show & Shine registration point for the 2025 event in a pre-launch Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 and viewing the calibre of the 64 other cars participating in this year's event, it quickly became apparent that the Cape 1000 is now one of the most preeminent events on the South African motoring calendar.
Divided into Classic (pre-1977), Modern Classic (1977-1996) and Sports Car (1997 to current), those selected out of more than a hundred entries for the 2025 Cape 1000 included a 1959 Mercedes-Benz SL190, a 1968 Ford Mustang GT, a 1970 Ferrari Daytona, a 1971 Porsche 911 RS, a 1993 Lamborghini Diablo, a 1995 Ferrari 512TR Testarossa and a 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS Gullwing. Our CLE 53 was joined by other current performance cars like the stunning Ferrari 12 Cilindri and an Aston Martin DB12.
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With the cumulative value of the gathered procession best left to the imagination, the appeal of carefully organised events like these is that they allow owners an opportunity to enjoy their wares in a controlled environment while navigating sections of regularity driving (where the competitor is required to maintain a constant set speed, rather than an average speed) and abiding by all traffic laws.
An altogether less restrictive element of the Cape 1000 is access to Killarney International Raceway on the first day of proceedings. Here, owners are encouraged to have fun within the limits of their respective comfort zones. In one of the more surreal moments of my career to date, I rejoiced at the opportunity to follow the racing lines of some of the most sought-after cars on the planet. An altogether easier task when the machinery is not your own – and as capable as a modern AMG package is – I later loosened the reins of the CLE 53 4Matic to record the fastest lap of the day. 'I'd like to thank my sponsors…'.
Notes, smiles and camera footage compared, the second part of Day 1 led the convoy via the picturesque towns of Philadelphia, Stellenbosch and Somerset West to join the spectacular Clarens Drive linking Gordon's Bay with Rooiels. As I've experienced on various CAR Performance Shootout routes, it's once you experience the sheer joy and exasperation of bystanders, young and old, at the sight of a convoy like this rumbling through the high streets of smaller towns that you realise how unifying the automotive world can be.
Including sections of fast, winding routes in between the towns of Montagu, Aston, Kleinstraat and Ceres, while the second day of the event was designed to test the agility of the cars; ambient temperatures in the Karoo exceeding 40 degrees added to the drama of proceedings. Fortunately, stops for both photo opportunities and refreshments were forthcoming. An integral part of the Cape 1000 is acknowledging the role of enthusiasts, including those who can only dream of one day being behind the wheel of such impressive machinery. With this in mind, organisers are quick to update those following the event and who are keen to catch a glimpse of the convoy on both its route and designated stop-overs. Day two and three overnights in Franschhoek provided an opportunity for both public viewing and a charity auction dinner for the participants.
Breakfast plates cleared, and coffee consumed, the third day of the Cape 1000 saw the convoy visit the towns of Worcester, Tulbagh and Wellington before returning to the familiarity of Franschhoek. Parking the new Mercedes-Benz CLE package alongside the likes of the 1969 280SL Pegoda, 1972 350SL and SLS, I noted the subtle yet noteworthy odes to these legendary two-door stablemates within the packaging of the new car. As a reminder, the modern CLE badge was introduced as a means of combining the agility of the outgoing C-Class Coupé with the sophistication of the since-discontinued E-Class Coupé
Ignoring the onboard navigation's suggested hour-long return trip to Cape Town, the final day of this year's Cape 1000 guided the convoy towards the West Coast town of Paternoster, including some welcome stretches of well-maintained country roads, where participants would once again need to navigate sections of regularity driving for the accumulation of points.
Crossing the finish line at the V&A Waterfront, it's fitting that the ending point of such a spectacular four-day driving route is South Africa's most visited tourist attraction. Indeed, while events like the annual Mille Miglia continue to enthral with a combination of high-end cars and driving routes, with our climate, scenery, people and enthusiasm, it surely won't be long before entries for the Cape 1000 begin rolling in from across the globe.
Mercedes-AMG CLE53 4Matic+
Joining the CLE200 and CLE300 4Matic, each available in Coupé and Cabriolet form, the new flagship CLE 53 4Matic+ ups the ante via suitably dynamic exterior upgrades compared with its siblings, as well as 330kW/560Nm application of AMG's turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine. Torque is sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G transmission, and its maker claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.2s.
Find the full feature in the June 2025 issue of CAR Magazine.
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