To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVEEstimate:
£25,000 - £30,000
- Delivered new to the United Kingdom
- Desirably equipped with the 030 AMG Performance Package
- Distinctive aesthetic and performance upgrades borrowed from
the 2002 F1 Safety Car
- Obsidian Black over Gray leather
- Features include Distronic, Parktronic, Keyless Go, Premium
Sound, COMAND, Panorama Roof
Please note that this lot will need to be collected in Chobham,
U.K.
Beginning with the 1997 Formula One season and their new contract
as providers of the series' official safety cars, Mercedes-Benz
began using the world stage of motorsport to unveil upcoming
AMG-tuned models. The 2001 Formula One season would see
Mercedes-Benz continue this tradition-unveiling the SL 55 AMG at
the German Grand Prix in July. It would take eight months for the
marque's new flagship roadster to find its way from the Hockenheim
grid to the floor of the 2002 New York Auto show, but it was
successfully pushed shortly thereafter into the 2003 model-year
catalog. At the time of its release, the SL 55 AMG rocked the
contemporary market with near-supercar performance in a
comfortable, elegant convertible geared towards touring capability.
Powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 and five-speed automatic
transmission utilizing AMG's 'Speedshift' control unit, the
somewhat bulky 1,920 kg roadster rockets to 100 kph in just north
of four seconds.
This right-hand drive, Obsidian Black over Gray Nappa leather
example is desirably specified from new with the impressive '030
AMG Performance Package', which provides a host of notable cosmetic
and performance improvements to an otherwise highly-polished
product. The exclusive aero package hides a secondary oil cooler
and revised intake system, while a set of staggered, two-piece,
19-inch lightweight alloy wheels enshroud a set of massive 380 mm
cross-drilled rotors and eight-piston calipers of similar
specification to those found in the later SL 65. A limited-slip
differential and sport tuned Active Body Control system round out
the exclusive performance features of '030' package-keeping the
excitable roadster pinned to the road, at-speed. Should the new
owner of this rare roadster desire to explore the upper limits of
this example's straight-line potency-the '030' package chassis are
'ungoverned'-their top speeds now exceeding a reported 290 kph,
over 50 kph faster than the typical SL 55 AMG.
Inside, the steering wheel and headliner are wrapped in an
exclusive Alcantara finish which accentuates the Gray leather and
aluminum trim throughout the comfortably appointed cabin.
Additional and desirable features present on this chassis include
the COMAND navigation and DVD unit, multi-disk CD changer,
Distronic adaptive cruise control, Parktronic parking sensors,
Premium sound system, and active ventilated seats with memory,
heating, and cooling functions.
Completed in November of 2004 and delivered new to the United
Kingdom, this SL 55 AMG was retained by its original owner until
2016. Acquired thereafter by a dealer, this chassis was reportedly
furnished with new rotors, pads, and new control units for the
engine and SAM modules, while held in their inventory. This
attractive SL 55 AMG was thusly acquired by the consignor in 2017
and has been sparingly driven since.
Should you want more information on the condition of this lot and
or discuss the possibility of an in-situ inspection, please contact
our office at
+44 (0) 20 7851 7070 or email Britta Buchmann
at
[email protected]To
view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lf20.
