Warning!
We have 15 years of archives. Links older than a year may have been updated to point to similar cars available to bid on eBay.
This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
What do a Mercedes-AMG GT R, the red pig, and Ferris wheels all have in common? Let me try to explain. This 2018 AMG GT R up for sale in Düsseldorf pays tribute to the 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG that ran at the 1971 24-hour race at Spa. What does that have to do with Ferris wheels? Apparently, there were 5 of these tributes produced by design company Bussink. Who is Bussink? They are a leading designer of giant Ferris wheels and similar structures for over 25 years and produced more than 60 giant wheels. I guess they got a little bored of designing Ferris wheels are now they are doing engineering and design work on Mercedes-Benz with their blessing. Can’t say I blame them. Now one of these is up for sale to the public and oh boy is it expensive. I was not prepared for this price.
I have to give it to Mercedes, they milked as much as they could from the C190 AMG GT chassis. Launched for the 2015 model year, the lineup includes the GT, GT S, GT C, GT R, GT R Pro, GT and GT C Roadster, GT Black Series, and the track-only GT Track Series. Missing from that list is today’s car, the GT R Roadster. Production was limited to just 750 units – probably because they wanted people to just go buy the SL63 AMG.
I think the Porsche GT3 RS vs. Mercedes-AMG GT R debate is a pretty cut and dry one. One is like going to the symphony, while other is going to a rock concert. Both have their places and can be highly entertaining, and neither is in any way not a totally fulfilling machine. Of course the RS is the symphony with its precision skills and nearly flawless execution of nearly everything you can throw at it. While the GT R is the rock concert with its thrashing handling, roaring sound, and wildness that will keep you up to the edge and maybe even over it if you aren’t careful. Which would I chose? Oh man.
Just when you thought the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT R couldn’t get any bonkers, AMG turned it up to 11. Just to be clear here, the standard GT R, as if there is anything “standard” about it, was a car so bonkers and track focused that it held the Nürburgring production car lap record for a short time. So what did it need? More stuff! All that stuff seemed to pay off, as somehow they shaved another six seconds off that lap time without adding any more power at all. How is that possible? Lighter, stiffer, and more aero. That is what this boils down to. Production is limited to just 750 examples, and one happened to pop up in Florida with an impressive 5,000 miles on the odometer.
My favorite new Mercedes-Benz, the AMG GT R, just past its first birthday and I thought I’d swing back around to check in at where they are at value wise. When I first look at this model, a Green Hell Mango example with just 42 miles was listed for a little under $260,000. I thought that was a little odd because the sticker price was around $190,000 and some very good Mercedes customers were getting them for that. A few months later I looked at a black one with 300 miles that was listed much cheaper at $207,500. Quite the discount. Then, back in October I found another Green Hell Magno (what a name) with 2,200 miles for $185,000. Naturally, I thought I’d keep up with the pattern and check out another Magnetite Black car up for bid in the Los Angeles area. Are the prices still dropping?
