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If you say “aging twin-turbocharged V12 engine” to any sane car person, they’ll probably reply along the lines of “You couldn’t give it to me for free.” They probably wouldn’t be too far off, but it all comes down to expectations going into something like that. Is it going to be cheap and easy? Probably not. Is it going to be a total disaster of Maserati Biturbo proportions? Hopefully not. In all seriousness, the Mercedes-AMG M275 engine is about the best you can ask for in terms of what they made and how much reward you get from it, which is 604 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. Much to everyone’s surprise and now delight, these engines have been proven to be anything but a rolling disaster. However, does that mean it is worth rolling the dice on one when the price becomes attractive enough? Let’s take a look with this 2008 with an impressive 80,000 miles on the odometer.
For every bland S-Class that Mercedes-Benz produces to lease to some eye doctor in Ocala, Florida, every once in a while they’ll mix up something special for the ones in the know. Today’s 2008 S65 AMG is one of those. This is a “Designo Graphite Edition” that I did not even realize existed and probably wouldn’t believe either outside of seeing it listed on the window sticker for a cool $9,765. What is it? Graphite paint, Corteccia and Charcoal AMG leather, a heated steering wheel, matte natural oak wood trim, and an Alcantara headliner. All in addition to the loads of goodies that already comes standard on a 2008 S65 AMG. Add it all up and you’d find a sticker price when new of $210,265. Bonkers.
It is very clear to me that the death of the V12 is near. It was certainly inevitable, as outside of a few very select manufacturers it just isn’t in the cards anymore. What does that mean? Go buy a V12, of course! I guess I’m not alone in thinking this as prices of the somewhat more common V12 cars have started to creep up. A prime example is the R129. For a long time, these hovered in the teens, but now the very best ones are selling for strong money and the pack of average ones is starting to catch up.
This 1997 up for sale in Florida has an interesting story. It was not only offered once, but twice, and ended at a reasonable value. However, this seller seems to have other ideas.
Sometimes you see a car and say “Remember when they made that?” I had a brief moment when I saw this 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series. Of course I remembered the car, but with only 175 of them in the US, it’s not like you see them for sale often. This thing is every way bonkers in the power department as sinister as it looks with 661 horsepower with 738 pound-feet of torque. Also bonkers, the price tag of nearly $300,000. Pricessurprisingly dipped pretty hard considering they only produced 350 for the entire world, but now it seems like now is the time to snatch one up as the death of the V12 is near.
This example up for sale in Miami comes in with just under 11,000 miles and looks every bit the part. Prepare to pay though, as prices are getting stronger.
In terms of the R129 Mercedes-Benz, it doesn’t get better than this. This is the SL73 AMG. Just 85 were made and they are the only SL fitted with M297 V12, which is a variant of the M120 that was tuned by AMG. This is the same 7.3 V12 that powered the early Zonda cars and, of course, the CLK GTR Straßenversion. It is basically the cream of the crop when it comes to the naturally aspirated Mercedes V12 engines and threw down an impressive output of 561 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque. Even looking at it is worth the price of admission. But to have the engine and all the car wrapped around it? Bring a very large check.
