Back in 1993, if you hopped down to the local Mercedes-Benz dealer and asked for a 600SL, they’d gladly give to you — in exchange of giving them almost $130,000. If you somehow were dissatisfied with the car in terms of performance, you called up Mercedes super-tuner RENNtech and told them to do their thing with it — in exchange of another $60,000. Now doing some quick math here, we are at a grand total of around $190,000. Keep in mind we are still talking in terms of 1993 money. To put that in perspective, that’s over $316,000 in 2016 dollars. And you thought a drug addiction was expensive! So what did this insane amount of money buy you?
CLICK FOR DETAILS:Â 1993 Mercedes-Benz SL700 RENNtech on eBay
Year:Â 1993
Model: SL700 RENNtech
Engine: 7.0 liter V12
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 44,000 mi
Price:Â $44,950 Buy It Now
This is one of only three SL700’s ever made from Renntech with the 7 liter conversion making it ultra rare. I
It’s got the full treatment from front bumper to bespoke tailpipes!
I have the original article on this very car. 2 owners in 25 years. 44,000 original documented miles and a clean Carfax.
All factory services have been performed from A-Z within the last 12 months as well as a fresh service and complete check-up at RennTech!The V12 sounds incredible! 525 HP up from the factory 389, Suspension upgrades, RennTech/Brembo Brakes, RennTech custom wheels, Full carbon fiber interior, Brand new headliner, New floor mats, Ultra clean seats. Over 75k invested in 1994. AC blows super cold. Tires have 70% tread left. Bluetooth/satellite radio head unit.
Needs nothing. Drives great and ready to go down to the fresh detail!Looking for a nice home for this rare classic.
Fell free to contact Sam for any details or questions…310-600-1850 or samahdoot@gmail.com
It bought you 525 horsepower. But that wasn’t it. RENNtech touched everything in this car. Suspension, brakes, first-gear start, ASR defeat, giant OZ wheels, modified body work, carbon fiber interior. This particular car has a note from RENNtech mentioned that they would guess it has closer to 550 horsepower. Â You could say you got your $60,000 worth. This SL700 is one of three built, as RENNtech earlier did 6.0 V8 cars and later did 7.4 V12 cars for the R129/W140 chassis. Located in Los Angeles, the 1993 presents rather well with no issues besides some paint that needs correction. The full RENNtech and service history is a nice thing to have if you are a potential buyer.
Well, what about price? Cars like these are a really tough sell. Sure, they are ”worth” a bunch of money over a regular $10,000 SL600. But who is going to pay it when that money can buy so much more. These aren’t likely to appreciate in value any time soon, so the investment reasoning is out the window.  A buyer needs to have the criteria of loving the R129 enough to pony up tens of thousands of dollars. I love the R129 but am I going to spend over $25,000 on one? Hell no. Because the difference between a 400 hp SL600 and a RENNtech SL700 isn’t worth tens of thousands of dollars. But hey, I guess this seller just needs to find that one buyer out there for this car — which is what we all say to ourselves when selling a car.
– Andrew
I had the opportunity to see/sit in and start this car with the original owner in Richmond, VA a few years ago. He had the intention to consign (it had 32,XXX miles at the time), but decided he could not let it go about halfway through the process. The car came with the full docket of original documentation, RENNtech invoices left and right, every original component etc. He had a great story about driving it consistently but sparingly, taking trips from RVA down to Florida to play golf with some interesting people, having it checked up and serviced every time he was down there and powering back up the coast. Really interesting guy.
Seeing it in person really does the car justice — everything was finished and worked beautifully. The exhaust was unlike almost anything I had heard before. I owned a ’99 C43, ’05 S4, and ’99 E55 around this time, and nothing even compared. The eBay auction right now shows they’re looking for low $40K. The owner was willing to sell below that when we had it — I can only imagine the value will continue to go up, as long as mileage/care/condition do not get out of hand.
You wouldn’t spend over $25,000 on one of these and you don’t think there is investment potential? I would completely disagree this one. A standard SL is only the platform at this level. These are exotic and were modified with amazing craftsmanship. People will pay for a car like this and it will increase in value nicely over the years.
Perhaps I’m stuck in my formative years reading car mags (before the internet) but this body style has aged better than the subsequent models. For some reason, I think a European collector will snap this up.
Pshhhh poor mans SL74.
@Eurotrash, I completely agree, these have aged well, I think pristine R129 V12’s from this era will be more valuable than other late model Benz’s in the future. M120 V12 is an engineering marvel that never realized it’s true potential until it found its way to the Pagani Zonda.
I still have the Car and Driver issue this car is featured in above. The cover story was a Porsche 993 Turbo vs Ferrari F355 vs Lotus Elise 4S, Dodge Viper and Acura NSX. Ahh the glory days. I love old car magazines