All posts in Renntech

1997 Renntech E60 RS

by Ben on February 21, 2013 in Mercedes Benz, Renntech with 3 Comments

Touted as one of the leading Mercedes-Benz tuners in the world, Renntech specializes in taking an excellent luxury car and turning it into a fire-breathing, tire-shredding supercar. Renntech owner Hartmut Feyhl’s credentials speak for themselves: he spent over a decade at AMG and even was the technical director behind eveyone’s dream Benz the AMG Hammer. Over the years there have been a number of Renntech standouts but one of my favorites has to be what they did with the W210 E-Class.

Across the Bay Bridge in Fresno sits a 1997 Renntech E60 RS for sale. All of the Renntech E60s started out as E420s and received the five-liter M119 V8 which was then bored out to six-liters resulting in 418hp and 440 lb/ft torque. The RS package included aggressively widened fenders to accommodate bigger wheels and rubber and gave the E-class a sinister stance. Renntech only made around 50 of these E60’s and E60 RS models making this a pretty rare find.

Year: 1997
Model: E60 RS
Engine: 6.0 V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 125,000
Price: $17,000

1997 RennTech E60 RS on Craigslist

I am selling a one owner, clean title, 1997 Renntech E60 RS. It is in excellent condition, 125,000 miles, everything works and runs perfectly.

Full Renntech suspension
Front and rear Alcon/Renntech big brakes
Renntech Carbon Fiber intake
Renntech built 6.0 motor
Renntech tuned transmission and ECU
Renntech Exhaust
Iforged staggered 19″ 2 piece wheels with great condition tires

As part of the full RS package, Renntech had all 4 fenders custom flared with metal fenders & Renntech also had the whole interior of the car redone in red & grey leather and red and grey alcantara. They removed the factory seats and installed driver and passenger power Recaro seats as part of the RS package. Renntech built less than 30 E60 RS’s and they were close to $150,000

I spent the better part of high school study hall geeking out over quarter-mile times and top speeds in my MotorTrend. It was during one of these sessions that I came across an article on Renntech super sedans and since then have been obsessed with these extreme performance-luxury cars.

This is an extraordinary car but I do have a couple of bones to pick with this E60. First off, the interior looks like it’s straight out of a Pimp My Ride episode with the tri-color leather scheme and marble armrest. Also, I know that iForged makes nice wheels but these units just seem to clash with the charming brutishness that the W210 exudes. I think we’d all agree that a set of 18” AMG Monoblocks would really makes this Mercedes look a thousand times better. A stock 1997 E420 in good condition hovers right around the $7,000 range. Considering that the Renntech E60 RS package costed well north of $70,000 back in 1997, I think $17K is a pretty solid deal for a car this fun and this rare. If it hasn’t sold by the weekend I may have to take a trip across the bridge and check this thing out. A glimpse at the engine bay alone is worth the trip.

-Ben

Wicked 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG

by Ben on February 9, 2013 in AMG, Mercedes Benz, Renntech with 3 Comments

Cold, calculated, powerful, discrete…words that can be used to describe a hired gun but in this case we are talking about a 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG. I’ve always loved these beasts despite the fact that they look like an E-Class that was stretched out on a medieval torture rack. Us true gear heads know it’s what’s on the inside that matters anyway. In this case it’s the massaged 6.0 liter twin-turbo V12 that set’s this CL apart from its fellow AMG brethren. Let’s take a look at this monster.

Year: 2005
Model: CL65 AMG
Engine: 6.0 V12 twin-turbo
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 85,000 mi
Price: $30,000

2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG for sale on eBay

Screen Shot 2013-01-31 at 2.16.59 PM

Upgrades to the Benz:

-New brakes on all 4 corners including rotors $4300
-Rear carbon diffuser and rear carbon trunk spoiler which only 10 were ever made aftermarket for these cars $900
-Front mount Heat Exchanger which diverts heat from the intercoolers $700
-A LSD rearend which gives the car a full amount of traction versus the stock rear one wheel only $5500
-Renntech tune with Tcu $2500
-Custom stainless exhaust with 200 cell CATS and chrome stainless mufflers– $2500
-Larger intercooler water circulation pump- 5x more volume then factory pump $300
-Bead blasted all 4 stock wheels and paint them metallic black with 2 coats of clear $800
-4 brand new TOYO proxy T1 tires $1100

The bonkers RennTech ECU tune should bump horsepower and torque up to 640/840 respectively. Pair the tune with the custom exhaust and cats and I’m sure this Benz sounds godly. On the flip side, I’m not a fan of the carbon bits or the black wheels; much prefer the gunmetals that came stock.

At the time the CL65 was one of the most expensive and powerful German cars on the market, topped only by the equally insane Porsche Carrera GT. Unlike the Porsche, the Mercedes’ price has absolutely plummeted. This is for a couple of reasons. For starters, to the commoner these CL65s look no different than the standard CL with the AMG package. Those more familiar with the CL’s rarity and power tend to be scared off by the repair expenses. If you’re willing to roll the dice you’ll end up with one of the best steals of the century. Back in 2005 this car MSRP’d at $186K and can run the quarter mile in under 11 seconds!  Not to mention it’s one of 196 produced. Hopefully someday these will be worth a pretty penny.

-Ben

Living Large: Mercedes-Benz CL65 with Renntech

by Nate on June 21, 2012 in Mercedes Benz, Renntech with 1 Comment

Today’s CL65 doesn’t require quite as large a bank account as the Black Series featured earlier this week, but it’s an even larger 2-door coupe housing the beastly twin-turbo V12. Putting out a *mere* 621hp before the Renntech ECU upgrade, the biggest of Mercedes coupes exemplifies a velvet-covered hammer. Pushing any 2-metric-ton car to 60 in 4 seconds flat sounds terrifying, though I have to imagine it’s deceptively comfortable in heated-cooled-infinitely-adjustable seats while looking through nightvision. The CL definitely targets a different audience than the Black Series, but isn’t actually that far off for less than 50% of the price. You could get a Mustang or GTR with this much horsepower for something similar to the $108k asking price, but would your butt be vibrating in plush, quilted leather with every conceivable option ever offered on a car? I don’t think so.

2008 Mercedes-Benz CL65 with Renntech upgrades on eBay


No real description from the dealer other than the astonishing litany of options, but the pictures say it all. Big, fast, and luxurious. I’d pass on the extra Renntech badging as it’s beginning to look like sponsors on a lowered Acura, except these sponsors spell 650+ horsepower. I can think of different ways to spend $100k on cars, but if I was looking to have a big max coupe, I’d take this beast all day over a Bentley.

-NR

Go big or go home: Renntech SL65 AMG Black Series for sale

by Nate on June 18, 2012 in Mercedes Benz, Renntech with 4 Comments

We’ve had some reader requests recently for some Mercedes featuring their beastly twin-turbo V12 present in “65″ models. I’m obviously a fan of all things AMG, but the 65 has always seemed like a unique animal. Viciously expensive, powerful, and fast, they exemplify the “bit more of everything” luxury sports cars seem to be striving for today. Sweet AMG engines of the past wilt at the thrust of the 6.0L V12. Amazingly, the normal observer would have no idea of the engine intimidation factor present, as most 65s look exactly the same as 63s, 550s, and 430s save for some badges and anthracite wheels. Operative word today being “most,” as this 65 is the king of all kings. The third Black Series model ever produced, Mercedes went whole hog with more power, carbon fiber wide body kit, and go-fast bits all over. While the CLK and new C Black Series carry that amazing DTM-on-the-street look, the SL65 AMG Black Series looks straight-up Batmobile in dark colors. With only 175 in the US and 350 in the world, you’re probably more likely to see a Batmobile replica.

As if 660hp weren’t enough, the PO of today’s SL decided he might as well throw $27k worth of Renntech bits on so that it produces that much power AT THE WHEELS. You know, for fun. Some normal ecu-etc. upgrades went on, and I’d be interested to see how the locking differential changes the car. This AMG engine is well known for producing toomuch torque and overwhelming its traction control. Maybe the locking differential makes smokey burnouts more possible? Hopefully that ECU upgrade tamed the traction control. That’s a moot point though, as the concept of building an engine with too much torque for the car to handle is the thesis of this car. Too much, 100% of the time, everytime.

Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series for sale on eBay


How much does craziness cost? This kind of craziness seems to be right in line with the market (surprisingly, there are 4 SL65 Black Series on eBay currently) at $240k with about 3000 miles. You could get some nice supercars for that kind of change, but you can be sure they won’t have the audacious power and fender flares present on a Black Series. No, it’s not the precision screamer of a Ferrari or the magic of the fastest of Porsches, but if Mercedes is your style, I’d take this over an SLR McLaren any day.

-NR

2001 Mercedes C38 For Sale

by Aaron on December 18, 2011 in Mercedes Benz, Renntech with 2 Comments

I typically stay away from posting Mercedes as my esteemed colleagues know the brand far better than I.  That said, I had the chance to drive a ’08 C350 this past week it got me to thinking.  What if you could have something this comfortable, roomy, refined, only… faster.

Enter the C38, this particular example is fitted with the RENNtech tuning package which bumps horsepower to 300 ponies.

2001 Mercedes Benz C38 Renntech Sedan:

From the seller -

“Just arrived is this very clean and cool example of the tuner-enhance RENNtech C38, a Mercedes-Benz C-Class with a $20,000 engine/body package installed when new by a renowned European car tuner on par with AMG. The factory 3.2 V6 was enlarged to 3.8 liters resulting in 300+ horsepower, and this was mated to suspension, exhaust, brake, and body upgrades to make this a very sporty car. It’s an absolute blast to drive, and is clealry a special car that distinctively stands out from the less muscular factory model.”

Now, I have my doubts that this car is actually equipped with the factory RENNtech package.  If it were so equipped it would have interior/exterior upgrades, ECU remap, exhaust, and some other bits.  Some of the trim bits are ill fitting and there is something a bit off about the whole package.

But, let’s say for the sake of argument that this is the real deal.  $13.9k is not much cabbage for a world class sports sedan.  Too much?  Well it’s your lucky day, this C38 is listed for $11.9k on their website.  I have to think you could walk in with $10.5k and leave with a wonderful car.

~Aaron.

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