2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Kleemann

Sunny has owned this car since 2016 and has the fast Mercedes-Benz bug bad; he recently bought a Mercedes G-Wagen that sold via The Market.

Having enjoyed the wild performance on offer from this tuned CL65 for a number of years, it’s now time for a re-shuffle of his fleet. “It’s a lovely car,” he says. “I’m a bit gutted in selling it. I drove it up to Abingdon and quite honestly I was in two minds whether to turn around and go back.”

He confirms that the car has the Kleemann Intercooler Pump fitted and that the previous owner had intended to complete the full tuning package, with the ECU upgrade and cat removal, but is unsure if this ever took place. “The only way to find out is to put it on a rolling road, but even if it is ‘just’ 635bhp, it’s something else to drive!”

The included V5 document shows that the car was first registered on the 13th of June 2005 and that it’s had a total of five owners from new. There’s a good service history with the car and the service book shows a wide spread of stamps, particularly in recent years.

The current number plate isn’t staying with the car, so once it’s whipped off it will be returning to the original ‘05 plate currently residing in the boot. (UPDATE: This is done now)

“The bodywork is fine for 2005 but does require a bit of TLC,” admits Sunny. “The alloy wheels definitely need doing and that’s something I would have got around to if it hadn’t been for the lockdown.”

There’s some for improvement externally. Panel fit itself is good but the Obsidian Black paintwork is just a touch tatty in places. The paint is flat and poor on the fuel filler cap and on the offside front wing where the lacquer is also lifting. Behind the nearside front wheel, the paint on the front return of the sills has scuffed off over time from stone-blasting off the front wheels. The boot-lid has also been re-sprayed at some point and again is a little but flat. There’re also a number of small chips present in various areas. It's showing honesty rather than perfection.

The next owner could visit a specialist detailer for some more localized remedial work, if they felt so inclined.

The five-spoke AMG alloy wheels are scuffed and have the beginnings of corrosion under the lacquer in places so, as the vendor states, they will require refurbishment to bring them back to their best.

Windows down though, nothing beats the pillar-less look a Mercedes-Benz Coupe. It’s exudes cool effortlessly. The additional Kleemann badges and AMG body kit just add to this particular car’s imposing aura.

The electric-close boot requires a hand on one back corner to fully close the final few millimetres.

Inside you get all the goodies: electric heated massage seats; air-conditioning; cruise control; airbags; telephone connection and antenna; satnav; rear window electric roller blind; AMG leather; and burr walnut wood trim.

One or two bits of trim are loose but should be relatively easy fixes. There are one or two scuffs here and there, but both the wood trim and leather are in decent condition – it still feels like a distinctly high-end cabin.

There are some warning lights on the dash for bulbs, etc, and the sunroof isn’t currently functioning but that could be down to a fuse or lack of recent use.

“It is super fast to drive, but with control,” states Sunny. “It doesn’t go all over the place like other highly tuned Mercs that I’ve owned; it puts the power down beautifully and holds the road really well. And that engine? It’s perfect and as I said, it’s something else: fast, smooth and brutal!”

Take a look at our video of the CL65 below to get an idea of just how fierce it is; at 4mins 40sec, the quad-exhausts begin delivering their truly belligerent note.

The engine fires without hesitation and on the road it’s everything you’d expect it to be: sorted, thunderous and smooth. The auto ‘box shifts nicely and is slop-free and we’re surprised just how well it gets the power down. Brakes offer pulverising stopping power and the suspension feels good with no irregular noises.

The history file is relatively succinct. There’s a data card from Middlesex-based specialist Trident Mercedes that details all standard specifications. From the same company you’ll also find an invoice from April 2014 for a service and replacement of the front forward suspension arms, and drive belt (totaling £738.51).

There are also a number from 2014/15 from Fleet Road Garage, Spalding Lincolnshire, for consumables and fitting of some replacement ball joints. The next jump is to 2020 with a new Yuasa Battery fitted by Motor Masters, Hayes, for £162.88, a full service and MOT carried out – with new rear brake pads fitted (£444.72). Importantly it also fitted a new ABC pump and washer pump on the 11th of December (£1,228.20).

As well as the aforementioned service book you’ll find numerous expired MOT test certificates, some original handbooks and the leather owner’s wallet.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a good standard.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

1 of 38 CL65 AMG Kleemann Bi Turbos made for the UK market and this being a one off, it took the vendor a while to get his hands on one. Having enjoyed the car and since added new toys to his collection, it’s time for it to find a new home.

As discussed there is room for aesthetic improvement in a couple of places, so we think it’ll sell for somewhere between £19,500 and £24,500. It still delivers gargantuan and epic performance, but remains relatively discreet.

Those in the know will understand what the exterior badges represent in terms of sheer brutality and those that don’t, will when you disappear into the far distance.

This is a car for the Mercedes-Benz connoisseur.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.