Japan Car Auction Finds: Mercedes Benz SLS AMG

The SLS was the first car to be designed in-house by AMG. In terms of model progression, it follows on from the more expensive McLaren Mercedes SLR although it comes very close to it in performance terms at a much lower price point. 100 km/h comes up in just 3.8 seconds and the SLS can go on to hit 197 mph.

I suspect that this is one of those cars that looks much better in the metal than it does in photos. Personally, although I can see the references to the historic 300SL gullwing, the modern spin on the design comes uncomfortably close to the Nissan GT-R as far as I can see. The GT-R may be a great performer, but its looks are an acquired taste, and when you are going head-to-head with the likes of the Aston Martin DBS, or the Ferrari 458 Italia, how the car looks is an important factor.

In that sense, one of the stand-out features of the design are the gullwing doors. Unlike Lamborghini-style scissor doors that pivot on the front, gullwing doors are hinged at the roofline – hence the “winged” appearance when both driver and passenger doors are open.

This particular car is a 2010 model that has been imported into Japan but never registered.  It has just 315km on the odometer, but there are some very slight scratches and scrapes at the right front area, which is probably why is it classified as a grade 5, rather than the grade 6 or higher that you would usually expect of a car of this low mileage. That said, I would be surprised if it sold for a lot less than the current list price of 24.9 million Yen, which is $303,500 USD at today’s rates. Even the bidding start price of 19,8 million Yen would buy you a nice house in most countries.