2003 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG

In case you hadn’t already guessed, we like these cars a lot – and, in our opinion, this is a particularly good, low mileage example.

Having covered little more than 20,000 miles in the last decade and with a service book showing plenty of main dealer and specialist stamps (and any gaps are down to the car not being used), this car is, unsurprisingly, in very decent condition – inside, outside, mechanically and aesthetically. 

It has just had its entire electronic braking system replaced, at the kind of vicious prices you might expect and fear. 

Luckily, someone else has borne the pain so you don’t have to.

The way it looks and drives is far more a reflection of its low mileage and diligent curation than its age.

We have driven it and can report that it is sorted, fettled, free of any extraneous creaks, groans or rattles, and full of the very special type of AMG pep, vim and vigour that makes these cars such potent machines.

In common with other SLs from the AMG stable, it combines the unctuous charm and silky manners of Dr. Jekyll with the slavering, red-misted blood-lust of Mr. Hyde.

When asked to become the latter it squats down on its haunches, buries its claws into the tarmac and takes off like a nervous cheetah at a firework display. 

And it does all this, and more, to a fabulous sound-track of guttural snorts, barks, pops and rumbles that sounds for all the world like the bloke from the ‘Go Compare’ commercials fighting a moose in a haunted barn.

What’s not to like?

The R230, particularly in AMG guise, has aged very well (in our opinion) and looks as stylistically contemporary now as it did back in the day. 

This car’s bodywork is untroubled by the passage of time, as far as we can see, and there are no dinks, dents, creases, ripples, folds or aberrations of any significance. 

The ‘Brilliant Silver’ paintwork is equally beyond criticism and has retained plenty of gleam, lustre and depth of shine.

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.

The wheels are good. The tyres are good.

Ditto the lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings.

We found a couple of small stone chips on the driver’s door and one or two light scratches on the bonnet.

Beyond that, there’s nothing to report other than an entirely standard and inconsequential amount of road rash around the front valance and the ‘nose’ of the car.

The interior is faithfully following the same script as its exterior counterpart apropos condition, preservation and quality. 

The perforated black leather upholstery has yet to earn anything so vulgar as a meaningful crease, let alone any ingrained patina.

The door cards are very fine.

So too are the carpets and mats.

The steering wheel, gear selector and other controls are all in irreproachably fine fettle.

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch, but everything we did tweak, press and flick responded as expected and did so in a timely and polite fashion. 

Faults? Well, we spotted a few small nicks to the silver finish atop the ‘C’ pillar beneath the rear window on the driver’s side. 

Frankly, we’re just being picky now.

The engine bay is clean, shiny, dry and tidy. 

The undersides of the car, although largely hidden from sight under protective trays and covers, look to have plenty of structural integrity.

We noticed a little bubbling coming through at the top inside both rear wheel arches.

The vehicle comes with plenty of the right sort of stamps in the service book and evidence of recent expenditure on big ticket items such as the electronic braking system. 

It comes with 2 sets of keys, various invoices and receipts, original handbooks and manuals, a clear HPI check and an MoT certificate that’s valid until 9.5.24.  

SL55 AMGs are truly great cars.

This is a low-mileage example in very good condition.

It has a service book full of stamps.

Enough said.

We are happy to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £17,000 - £22,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.