MBWorld Editor

This AMG Ferrari, which is a Ferrari California based on an SL55 AMG, is one of those weird combinations that you shouldn't like, but it works.

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OC6.3AMG

the Ferrari California's design is such a riot, I rather have the SL55...

AMGAffalterbach

This is terrible

BlownV8

This is like disguising Heidi Klum as Monica Bellucci. This is an insult to German engineering! Ban the OP!!!!!!

mercedesbenzs55

This is the rich mans replica.

kustom2k1

Im impressed by how sexy that roof line looks, even on an F kitcar.

vtvette

The proportions on the car just don't look right. *maybe* it's 100% correct dimensionally to the Ferrari but it just doesn't look right.

It's hard to believe today but, someday someone is going to regret cutting up a (presumably) clean SL55 to make it a kit car.

BlownV8

They made so many SL55's that they will most likely never be considered a collector. The ABC system will keep most away from ever wanting one.

vtvette

Production numbers don't tell the whole story. Air cooled 911's have gone through the roof lately in terms of value and there were more 911's built on most any given year than the total production run of all SL55's.

Even the R109's are really coming into their own and they never had a high performance variant. They were cheap as chips for the longest time.

The 2000's are looking to be the golden years for high performance for AMG cars. They were heads and shoulders above their competition in terms of performance. There were few AMG's prior to the 2000's that were truly high performance cars, and Mercedes is watering down the brand these days putting AMG on anything they think will sell.

Also, dependability and technical complexity have little impact on collectability. I've worked on many, many highly collectable 60's and 70's Jaguars, Ferrari's, that were highly collectable but never reliable and expensive to keep running, even when new.

I've heard that mantra so many times over the past 20 years with cars like Jaguar E-types, Ferrari Dino's, Ferrari 308's, 911's, etc - just buy them and drive them they'll never be worth anything. Now they're shooting up in value.

I'm not saying the SL55 is destine to become a collector car. In fact, considering the long term holding costs of a an automobile I'm not a big fan of collecting cars in general. I do believe, like other cars that have come before it the signs are there and a low mileage AMG from the 2000's may one day command a premium.