2023 06 26 CCC Blog Post – Some of our Favourite Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz is an industry leader in the automotive world. For over a century Mercedes-Benz has been producing top end vehicles. The first car ever produced was the Benz Patent Motorwagen, in 1886. Since then, Mercedes has evolved into the luxury giant it is today. Over the past 100 years Mercedes-Benz has produced some very special cars. Here are a few that we particularly love.

The AMG SLS Black Series is one of the most iconic cars the brand has produced in recent times. When designing the brand’s next halo car, Mercedes wanted to tap into its history and incorporate the gull-wing doors from the SL W198 into a sleek timeless design. Then, in 2010, the AMG SLS was created. The SLS was a very unique car but the engineers at Mercedes wanted to make the car more track capable and exclusive. So in 2013, the AMG SLS Black Series was produced. Limited to only 350 units this car is extremely sought after and collectable. The AMG SLS Black Series boasts a top speed of 196MPH and a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds. These times were achieved by the 6.2L V8 which produces 622 horsepower and provides 422 lb.-ft. of torque. The SLS Black Series stands out from the conventional AMG SLS by having a lightweight carbon fibre hood, front splitter, and rear diffuser. These carbon fibre parts reduce the SLS’ Black’s weight by 154 pounds. The Black Series also features a wider body, a rear spoiler, larger air intakes, along with numerous suspension tweaks to make the AMG SLS more capable on a track. Upon release, the SLS Black Series had an MSRP of just under $300,000 Canadian and is now valued within shouting distance of a million dollars.

From 1954 to 1957 the Mercedes produced the SL 300 coupe. This luxurious sports-car was based off the W194 race car and was offered as a coupe or a roadster. This version of the SL stands out in Mercedes history because it was the first Mercedes with the iconic gull wing doors. This design was unlike any other sports car at the time. Mercedes later paid homage to this design with the AMG SLS in 2010. The W198 SL was also one of the first Mercedes products to employ a fuel injected engine. This translated to more efficiency and more power than previous engines. Since the gull wing coupe was only produced for a short number of years, only 1200 coupes are know to exist today. All of these factors contribute to a very high price tag when these exclusive cars come up for sale.

Now available by online auction is this European Spec 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC Coupe. This pillarless look adds to the presence and class of this S Class coupe. This was the first time the S-Class had a separate chassis code for the long wheel base and the coupe. This particular 560 SEC is a Japanese market model., meaning it is built to European market specifications. The most noticeable difference is the streamlined bumpers, and sleeker head lights compared to the North American market cars. Invisible to the naked eye is thr 296 factory horsepower rating, quite a prodigious offering relative to the 238 HP on this side of the ocean. Adding to the rarity are the velour seat upholstery and absence of a third brake light. This S-Class was imported to Canada in 2003 and currently has under 100,000km. Click here to see the auction listing.