2006 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG

We understand that the vehicle was sold new to a Director of AMG UK and was bought 6 months later by its next owner, the vendor.

It has spent quite a few recent years in dry storage as it is one of a number of cars in the vendor’s collection and, unsurprisingly, he can’t drive them all at once.

The car has covered a perfectly reasonable mileage of just 71,775 miles in its 20 years of life and is in very decent overall condition, if in need of a little TLC here and there.

We have driven it and can attest to its dynamic and mechanical togetherness.  It has retained the model’s grin-inducing ability to delight with both its performance capabilities and its gloriously sonorous and throaty soundtrack of V8 burbles, barks, snorts and roars.  
 

Viewed from a few metres away, this splendid C55 presents very handsomely and the bodywork is straight, true and free of any dinks, dents or dimples of any consequence that we can see.

The shut-lines and panel gaps are consistent, even and up to the finest Teutonic standards of the day.

Get a little closer and the same broadly holds true but there are a few cosmetic issues to consider.

A little nascent corrosion is just starting to make itself known in the rear wheel arches.

There are a few spots of flat or tarnished Obsidian Black Metallic paint in places (possibly the work of our avian friends), and there are plenty of light, swirly scratches dotted around – although thankfully of the sort that should yield to a decent machine polisher without too much of a fight.

There’s a rather more substantial scratch on the passenger-side of the bonnet.

The wheels have definitely seen better days. There is kerbing and corrosion on all four, plus some ingrained staining from brake dust.  A refurb will be the order of the day at some point.

The wheels are shod in Pirelli P-Zero rubber at the front, and those tyres look to have a decent amount of life left in them, although they may be getting a little long in the tooth now.

The rear Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tyres are pretty much new and look it.

While most of the car’s exterior badging, fixtures and fittings are all good, the headlamp cowls have turned cloudy (as noted in the MoT advisories) and will need looking at sooner rather than later

Elsewhere, the bodywork has a number and distribution of scratches, stone chips and minor scuffs that are rather more commensurate with the car’s low mileage than its age.
 

The interior is a lasting (literally) testimony to the exemplary materials and workmanship that Gunther, Wolfgang and the other Meister Technikers of Sindelfingen routinely brought to these cars, and everything looks to have survived the passage of time with commendable resilience and grit.

The black leather front seats with their perforated central squabs and back rests, contrast double stitching and Alcantara shoulders, look to be in very good condition and are showing no real signs of wear aside from three deep crease lines on the outer bolster of the driver’s back rest.

The rear seats look as if they’ve never supported anything heavier than a Panama hat or a handbag.

The ruched leather door cards are in fine fettle, as are the headlining, carpets and AMG-branded mats.

The brushed alloy trim around the gear selector has a few nicks to it but is otherwise fine, as are the rest of the centre console and the dashboard.

As an aside, we’re always reassured when the radio default seems to be set to BBC Radio 4, not Satanic Thrash Death Metal FM – particularly in a performance car.

All controls, dials, gauges, switches, knobs, levers and buttons look to be in very decent condition and, as far as we’re aware, everything does what it’s supposed to do.

One exception is the switch for the sunroof; it does enable the roof to open, close and tilt, but opening it requires several clicks of the switch to help it on its incremental journey.

The boot is as good as the rest of it, if in need of a good clean, and contains a space-saver spare wheel, a tyre inflator, a jack and some tools.

There’s not a lot to see of the V8 masterpiece lurking under the protective cowls in the engine bay, but what we can see appears to be clean, dry, orderly, present and correct. 

It’s much the same underneath, where anything of interest is concealed behind protective trays.

But we’ve seen nothing anywhere to make us doubt the car’s character, honesty or structural integrity.
 

Aside from the odd hiatus when the car was probably laid-up in storage, there’s a good spread of main dealer and specialist stamps from 2006 to 2016, and there are plenty of bills, invoices and receipts attesting to work carried out thereafter.

The dashboard service light tells us that a service is overdue and that the car has covered some 6000 miles since its last encounter with an appropriate technician.  

It comes with its manuals and books, a recent HPI report, a V5C and an MoT certificate, with a few advisories, that’s valid until 29th October 2026.
 

The C55 AMG is one of the all-time great Q-cars, the ‘Q’ being a reference to the seemingly innocent merchant ships of WWI that secretly concealed all manner of potent weaponry and firepower.

Of course, the ultimate expression of its Q-ness would be the absence of any tell-tale badging.

But, frankly, it would take levels of discipline and humility normally associated with Shaolin monks to tick the de-badging option on the order sheet.

Yes, it’s a ‘Q’ car, but you’d still want the right people to know, obviously.

This example has had one owner for 20 years, with his predecessor being a Director of AMG UK.

Yes, it is in need of a little TLC in places and there are one or two items on the MoT advisory list that will need looking at.

That’s not too much to ask, we think, when your reward will be ownership of one of the great driver’s cars of its era and a machine that is still mightily impressive even today.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £10,000 - £15,000.

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’.