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A late-model Mercedes-Benz AMG car that probably doesn’t get enough attention in my eyes is the W209 CLK55 AMG. Probably because during the three year production run from 2003-2005, just 1,517 of them were brought to the US. Nearly half of those, 761, were for the 2003 model year and the final year of 2005, just 247 of them were sold new. That means your chances of seeing one and finding one for sale is pretty slim. As luck would have it, a 2005 popped up outside of Philadelphia and I couldn’t wait to take a look. It looked clean enough from the outside and then my eyes were drawn to the $8,500 price tag. Then I did some digging, and the wind let out of my sails.
Hard to believe it has been over a year since the last time I looked at a Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Estate. Time flies when you’re having fun I suppose, but I came across this 2005 up for sale in California that caught my eye immediately. Its really not any different than every other E55 Wagon I look at, but I thought it would be interesting to see where the market is at on these cars now that we head into 2020 and Mercedes-Benz is thankfully still gracing us with AMG wagons that are fast enough to put most exotics to shame. So are these still commanding strong money? Or are they starting to soften just a little? I think I have one of the answers to that question.
When it rains, it pours, I suppose. A few weeks ago I took a look at a 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S that featured a paint-to-sample exterior and a Porsche Exclusive interior. Those words sound fine as your read them, but when you actually see the color combo that was picked, it might be a different story. Surprisingly, a fair amount of people actually like it and more power to them, it was different, I give you that. As luck would have it, another 996 Turbo S with a Paint-to-Sample color and a CXX interior popped up for sale, this time in Germany. As you can see, this one is a little more on the conservative side, but even more brilliant in my eyes.
You and a million plus of your internet friends love the E46 M3. With a high-revving naturally-aspirated inline-6, near perfect weight distribution and timeless looks, how could you not? So how to stand apart from the crowd? Well, this ’05 might be just the right ticket. First, you’d want to source one of the elusive BMW Individual examples. Like Porsche’s Paint to Sample, these were custom-ordered Ms with near limitless options, and the E46 was the first to really exploit this before it was the popular trend. 58 Coupes were optioned in E36-spec Estoril Blue Metallic for the U.S. market, and admittedly it looks great on the newer generation too. This one goes one step farther with M Texture Anthracite Alcantara that is very infrequently seen in the modern Ms. Not done yet, it was opted with a 6-speed manual to sooth the Internet’s fears. For good measure the ZCP Competition Package was ticked on the order sheet. And to scare everything else on the road, it was then sent to Dinan where just about every conceivable option was fit. The resultant supercharged S3-R package was good for 462 horsepower. The seller describes this combination as a unicorn, and it’s pretty hard to argue with that assessment.
As fun and as much as I love paint to sample and exclusive options on Porsche 911s, there of course is the potential for those to go very wrong. A few months ago Carter looked at a 2003 911 Turbo that was fine on the outside with a Speed Yellow exterior, but you opened the door to a Nephrite Green full leather interior. I like Speed Yellow and I think Nephrite Green would be awesome compared to the standard black or grey leather, but I don’t think its awesome to combine the two. That leads me to today’s car that I happen to find on a whim, a 2005 911 Turbo S up for sale in Belgium.
This car is finished on the outside in paint to sample Linen, which is a gold and beige kind of color. Different, but not offensive. Inside, you have a Boxster Red leather interior with a healthy dose of aluminum-look trim everywhere. Why this color combo? I have no idea. Although I’m almost positive it had something to do with the car being delivered new to a customer in Muscat, Oman.
