Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
I’m always curious about how much of a “project” people are willing to endure. Naturally, this becomes just a math problem really fast with almost everyone undervaluing their time. However, sometimes our ego gets the best of us and we think we can fix things much easier, and a lot of times cheaper, than it actually ends up being in reality. Today’s car, a 2002 Mercedes-Benz SL500 up for sale in California, is one of the “projects.”
Now that the summer is drawing to a close, we inch closer to another year where the clock moves one year ahead on the 25-year import rule for those who live in the United States. For certain cars that were built early in the model year like September and October, this is a big difference marker. What I mean by that is if you are looking to import 1998 model year, that doesn’t mean you have to wait until 2023. If that door sticker says “09/97” but it is a 1998 model year, you are good to go. But remember this could also work against you if it is made several months into that current model year.
Today’s car isn’t that case quite yet, but it is getting there and the hard work of getting it on North American soil is already done. Yes, this is 2001 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Estate up for sale in British Columbia at a still somewhat reasonable price. Although, what if I told you there was a way to bring this thing in the US legally right now?
If you know, you know. That was the general consensus if you owned a Mercedes-Benz G-Class in the United States prior to 2002. You couldn’t just ride on down to the local dealer to cut a check for a G-Wagen, you had to actually call up Europa International to cut an even bigger check. However, even knowing what Europa International was in the infancy of the internet was a big accomplishment, let alone actually buying a G from them.
Today, we have one of the pre-2002 G-Wagens that reportedly is still with its original owners. That counts for something, right?
Just one time I’d love to get the full story on how these crazy low-production cars actually ended up getting built. Did the board member in charge of production planning buzz off to St. Moritz for three weeks and the guys on the production line throw together some leftover parts until he got back? Then again, these are the Germans here. Nothing is done without a meeting, another meeting, a planning session, a meeting about the planning session, and then a very precise schedule about production but not before having a safety meeting. There is a method to this madness, and madness is what we got with today’s car.
This is 1998 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG. Reportedly there were 59 of these cars produced, which were the then-W202 C-Class AMG but with the 5.4-liter M113 from the E55. Why only 59? Who knows. Although this one has something different about it that you can see through the windshield. It is in fact one of the very few right-hand-drive examples for the UK.
Here is another one for the “didn’t know these existed” file. What we are looking at is a supposed 2004 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG “Tracksport.” What exactly is that? Reportedly the long-time Mercedes special projects wing HWA produced four of these cars based off the C55. This wasn’t just a random project, but rather the same specs as the DTM safety cars. A newer Black Series-style bumper was added along with a full roll cage, some fixed-back front bucket seats, and even harnesses for the rear passengers. To make sure this is a real track car, it is riding on some very slick Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires that you’d be crazy to take out on the public streets. Speaking of crazy, wait until you see the price.
