A lasting legacy in compact performance

IT’S the end of an era as Mercedes-AMG confirms only 15 examples of the CLA 45 § Final for South Africa, marking the end of the road for one of the most extreme compact performance sedans ever sold locally.

- WILLEM VAN DE PUTTE

ONLY 15 examples of the CLA 45 S Final for South Africa.

(Supplied)

It’s always been a niche product, part four-door coupé, part hot hatch and very much a car built around out-tight performance. The Final Edition doesn’t change the mechanical bits but adds visual differentiation for a model that helped redefine what a four-cylinder performance car could be.

All 15 South African Final Edition cars are finished in night black, giving the CLA a deliberately understated base colour contrasting with the edition-specific detailing.

The most obvious are the large “45 8” door decals, available in either black or yellow, along with yellow AMG logos on the side mirrors. It rides on matte black 19-inch AMG forged wheels with a cross-spoke design, complemented by gloss-black brake callipers carrying white AMG branding.