2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65

Being eagle-eyed observant types who never miss a thing, we’ve noticed that there is an elephant in the room.

In this instance, the enormous grey pachyderm in question is a Cat D notice.

Now then.

This car has never been in a crash.

It did, however, suffer a seized engine in 2010.

It then spent a few years in storage waiting for a new engine, which duly arrived and was installed in 2012 at a total cost of - wait for it - £35,000.

Ouch.

That’s why it has Cat D status.

However the car was inspected and re-classified on the HPI Register by Autoline in 2020, and if that doesn’t put your mind at rest, consider this: the vendor, who has owned the car since 2020, is a Mercedes-Benz technician.

The car was, apparently, bought new by a famous polo player.

No, we don’t know any either.

The car has a very modest 55,000 miles under its various belts and is in absolutely outstanding condition – cosmetically, mechanically and dynamically.

Clarkson said that his SL55 AMG was the ‘Swiss army knife of cars’ because, at the press of a button, it could be a soft top, a hard top, an intercontinental GT cruiser or a full-on, fire-breathing sports car with the ability to embarrass quite a few supercars.

That observation applies even more appositely to the SL63 AMG.

In ‘Waft About a Bit’ mode you’ll be inclined to effortlessly amble down to Cannes or Cap Ferrat without so much as breaking into a sweat.

In ‘Let’s Get a Move On’ mode you want to lower the roof, press on as much as you dare and blip the throttle every few seconds in order to wring another spine-tingling guttural rasp from the mahoosive V12.

This is a very quick car, make no mistake, and it announces that fact by making a noise like a heard of bison stampeding through a Travis Perkins warehouse.

It’s like listening to an electrical storm over the Eiger.

We didn’t engage full ‘Howling at the Moon’ mode but can confidently predict that the car will set off like a recently jilted warthog who’s just caught sight of his love rival.

The plate '65 SLK' is available by separate negotiation.
 

There are no flaws anywhere that we could hope to detect without using a magnifying glass and adopting a spiteful attitude.

Even the standard amount of stone chips, light scratches and other blemishes you’d expect to find on a car of this age is far more notable for its absence than its presence.

The shut-lines and panel gaps are all you’d hope to find on a car built to such exacting Teutonic standards.

The roof goes up and down in a mesmerizingly balletic display of choreographed engineering, seamlessly summoning and re-ordering various parts of itself from the boot and who-knows elsewhere.

The roll bar pops up and down with similar and equal reliability and aplomb, as do all manner of ancillary struts and braces.

It all works, it all fits, it all happens surprisingly quickly.

Wolfgang and Gunther must have felt very pleased with themselves when they waved this one goodbye from the end of the production line.

We imagine the chap who built the original engine has been reassigned to the Sindelfingen gift shop.

The only signs that this car is 20 years old are one or two tiny scuffs and marks at the base of what are effectively the car’s ‘C’ pillars, and some light indentations on the ‘collar’ that pops into place when the roof is stowed.

The wheels are good. The Bridgestone Potenza tyres look to have a reasonable amount of life left in them.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all pretty much beyond reproach.

The official AMG indoor car cover is also included.

Like we said, it’s all really very good indeed.  
 

It’s pretty much the same story on the inside in terms of quality, condition and preservation.

The perforated leather seats are in very good order and only one or two light patches of wear on the outer bolsters of the driver’s seat give any clues to the car’s age and use.

This is a very high-spec example and we imagine that, in addition to the usual memory and heating functions, the seats also have cooling and massage functions, though we are not sure if they are programmed to check your blood pressure or iron your trousers. 

The carpets and mats are unimpeachable, as are the door cards and the roof lining.

As far as we’re aware, each and every knob, button, switch, lever, dial, gauge and instrument does what it’s supposed to do without hesitation, deviation or repetition.

The interior of this car really is a class act and it looks every bit as fresh, purposeful and modern in 2025 as it did in 2005.

Unsurprisingly, the boot is as impressive as the rest of it. 
 

The exceptionally full engine bay is clean, dry and everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

The same holds true for very solid and sound-looking undersides, which are protected by various undertrays and cowls for the most part. 
 

Aside from its service book containing main dealer stamps, the car’s history paper-trail shows that it was mostly looked after by Mercedes-Benz of Hertford before the vendor, a Mercedes-Benz technician, bought the car and took over its servicing and maintenance himself.

The car’s engine was replaced in 2012, when the mileage was 37,000.

So, with the mileage today at 55,000, the engine has covered just 18,000 miles.

The automatic transmission was removed, reconditioned and refitted by Trans-Fix of Hertford in 2014.

The car had a new battery in June of this year and comes with a 5 year warranty.

It comes with a wallet containing its various books and manuals, a recent HPI report, and an MoT certificate – with no advisories whatsoever – that’s valid until 4th June 2026.
 

Unless you’re living on a remote hill farm only accessible by a dirt track, or you always travel with seven children and an overweight Labrador, a properly sorted SL65 AMG is pretty much all the car you could possibly want.

Ballistically fast and dazzlingly good at pretty much everything you ask of them, these cars are the living proof that Mercedes-Benz has never lost the knack of over-engineering its flagship models to a degree that few, if any, other manufacturers can hope to emulate.

Yes, it has a Cat D notice on its charge sheet but, given that it has been given a brand-new engine and has been looked after by a Mercedes-Benz technician for the last five years, all that really means is that you’ll almost certainly end up with one of the world’s truly great cars for rather less money than it might otherwise have cost you.

We’d snap it up in a heartbeat if we were bidding.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £30,000 - £35,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.