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If you've got a minute, let me tell you about my R55.
Owned and maintained by a good friend and Mercedes Master Tech, the car served him well for years but got little use after he changed his fleet up, so... it was offered to me for a song. I think he took pity on me as I'd been commuting year-round in Seattle on motorcycles!
The van was an R500 with the 5.0—sparsely optioned—but in perfect mechanical condition.
Paperwork signed over, we agreed to have him do one final job before saying goodbye...
An engine swap, replacing the 5.0 with the naturally aspirated 5.4 from an ML55. This is about as plug-and-play as an engine swap gets, and he had it buttoned up in no time. A custom weistec tune ensured everything was working optimally, and when it was all said and done I was looking at 414hp and 425lb.ft of torque. A 112hp and 86lb.ft jump from the 5.0. Not too shabby!
Final touches were some tongue-in-cheek badges, denoting this as an "R55 AMG".
It's been three months and 5000 miles, and I've absolutely fallen in love with MB, the R-class platform, and above all else, this wonderful M113 engine. This has taken over as the daily driver, getting me through the worst of the Seattle winter weather—did I mention the R55 is lifted an inch on all-terrain tires..? Some exhaust work has it sounded magnificent at wide open throttle, yet dead silent on the highway.
Current plans are to track down a second wheelset so I can run dedicated snow/summer tires, and if I'm feeling really ambitious try to install the optional cold-weather package. I want a heated steering wheel!
Anyways, figured I'd make an account here and share a bit. Thanks for having me!
Cool build. Let's see some engine bay pics and in-process engine swap pics, if any. Does it have air suspension?
The R-Class is a brilliant vehicle concept, shame MB went away from it. When these came out, I had young teens in the house and this was a dream car of sorts for me. Went with a Touareg at the time which was also an awesome contemporary vehicle to the R.
No, we went naturally aspirated for simplicity. If I ever get bored I could see going the supercharged route, but really I want this to be my reliable daily to allow for progressively crazier motorcycles.
Hi and welcome,
At the moment I'm searching for a donor R for an idea that has been in my mind for quite some time, very similar to your execution. Fitting a m113k into an R paired to a ZF8 transmission, won't add much for now, but again, amazing idea and, as an owner, I can add that your ride is truly awesome.
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