now, ive been thinking of putting in a new engine and transmission into my 1995 SL500. i went to mercedes and they said it is possible but would take a fair amount of work. i was look at the new AMG 5.5L Biturbo engine. the one they use in the 63 series and i would put in that new 7speed transmission to go with it. now my question is, would this hurt the value of the car or raise it up? whether or not i sell it i am quite curious what everyones thoughts are on doing this to the car and if they think the value would increase, decease or just stay the same.

 

Having owned several Benz over the last 50 years I would say, Cost Benefit ratio is way out of balance. In saying that, some day our R129's will come up in the auction values, but a hot rod version might have a very limited niche. Is the R 129 body style your ideal?
If I still had the 230SL I might consider a modern engine and drive train. I liked that look and feel, but a hot rod version would be personal, not marketable IMHO
If you spend the same effort and money in a newer MB do you get a better toy?
Have you looked at the replica Cobra's they turn heads and get lots of questions?
If you build the R129 monster, send photos and quarter mile run results!
Sorry for the rant. Good luck.

 

I think you would be in for a big disappointment with regards to market value, relative to the effort and money invested. No doubt you many enjoy the "new" car, but value, ....no.

w/ smiles
Jimmy

 

well i typed out a really long reply but it didn't post. so ill just have to say im still on the fence with this and I'll have to do some more thinking on the topic. i do think there would be a market for a monster-R129, but it would be a smaller market.

 

I doubt it would substantually change the value of your car.

However, you might want to get a more detailed estimate of the cost before you embark on this quest. I feel you've probably underestimated the labor in this type of undertaking.