vodc4

is bugati owned by VW or audi?

i noticed it looks a bit like audi.....and it uses W engine just like VW??

ChuckLane

I believe that its owned by VW for i got it of a VW site called vwvortex.com

mookie

WOW, and its how much?, and how many are they making?

pocholin

186 mph under 14 secs!!!!! LORD HAVE MERCY!!!!

blueSL

Bugatti, like Bentley and Lamborghini are owned by VW/Audi. I think it's a pity that a more adventurous revival was not planned for the Bugatti name, along the lines of the new Bentley Continental - perhaps that car should have been a Bugatti. Imagine how good it would be to have that name in (reasonably) frequent use again. This car is just too extreme to attract anything other than a handful of buyers who will never use it....

Either way, the Bentley and Bugatti will trump the SL600 on exclusivity, because even if there are few SL600s made, they will still look like an SL500 at first glance - just like my R129 SL600 does.

Stricks

SL 500 very nice power. SL 55 very fast power. SL 600 very fast and very smooth power. You gotta try a V12 to understand the smoothness of acceleration. You just get there all of a sudden. SL 55 you kinda hang on and get there. I don't think I could ever go back toa V8, I love the smooth aceleration. My '94 gets almost 20 mpg unless driving hard, then it seems to stay about 14 mpg. But the smoothness is worth the extra quarters it took to get the car.
Local Mercedes dealer in Newport has 60 deposits (I'm told) on the SL 600. I don't believe it.

blueSL

The SL55 is in a different league from the old 129 SL600, not just in performance but also in handling. The SL600 handling feels really soggy by comparison.

The new SL600 promises much and it will be interesting to see the back-to-back comparisons with the SL55 when they come out. If there are 60 deposits, I'm sure many of those will be from speculators hoping to make a quick killing. Let's hope oil doesn't surge to $100+ a barrel...

Stricks

I agree. I liked the ride of the new SL 500, but wanted to see what the SL 55 was all about. Still a feeding frenzy on price, but it is dropping. I really liked the handling of the SL 55, and of course, the zip. I have to make the leap that the 230 SL 600 will be a similar comparison to the 129 series 500 and 600. If the 129 SL 500 and 129 SL 600 set a standard, the I suspect the the 230 SL 500 and SL 600 will raise the bar at similar levels. Consequently, I am holding off doing anything until the SL 600 is out and the price frenzy has gone down to a "normal" level. That being said, there is really no justification for any car at the price expected to be posted. But then, you only go around once, so live it with "Gusto" I believe is the phrase.

Wolfman

The premium on the SL55 is dropping but will certainly hold the value better than the V12.

The sad news is the SL600 will most likely follow the path (perhaps with a slight premium) of the CL & S class in dropping value at an incredible pace.

You can buy an 03 S600 or C600 pretty much at list right now and I just glanced at a 02 CL600 at $45K under list

This of course says nothing about the joy of driving a V12; they are wonderful and deliver super smooth acceleration...

Wolfman

vraa

he did.. look what we got!

pocholin

LMAO!!! TRUE!!!

benznut

why do people keep saying that the V8 AMG will hold the value any better than the V12?

I just read somewhere that the twin turbo V12 can operate smoothly and maintain its characteristic driveability at a limit of 700 Cv and 1200 Nm (that is 888lb/ft of torque).
The new AMG V12 will be tuned at just under that, about 640hp and around 1000pounds of torque. I want a SL65 (I assume it will have all AMg goodies, and beat the c.rp out of a porsche GT2)

blueSL

History. If you look at V12 cars from the recent past, their second hand values have fallen more rapidly than their V8 equivalents. Whatever the advantages of a V12 - and I certainly enjoy the smoothness of my SL600 - they are a less attractive second-hand purchase than their V8 counterparts, mainly for reasons of gas mileage, perceived complexity and anticipated maintenance costs.

If you look at Ferrari V8s and V12s, the V12s depreciate like a stone in free-fall, the V8s hold their value well and the same is true of Mercedes. When I enquired about trading-in my SL600, I was told it would be valued the same as an SL500. Used car buyers evaluate cars on different criteria from new car buyers. As new car buyers, we can be picky about what we want safe in the knowledge that during our likely ownership of the car, we're unlikely to face any serious maintenance. Used buyers will factor in the likelihood of serious maintenance which is why a bullet-proof service history is even more vital with a V12 than it is with a V8.

The SL which will hold its value best is the SL350 which Mercedes think will account for 1 out of 2 cars made in the future. 3, 4 years down the road, it will be the most attractive used buy.

Personally, I do not think the SL600 (or any SL) will seriously take on a GT2, especially around corners. I'm coming to realise that, however good the SL55 is (and it is great), it is one heavy car and the Porsche is at least 500kg, 1100 pounds lighter and you cannot change the laws of physics. The SL is plenty heavy enough in SL55 guise, without the added weight of the V12.

What's this, I hear you asking? BlueSL criticising the SL? Shock, Horror! No, just a bit of objectivity at 5 in the morning...

Mustard

You forgot to add "especially if they have ABC"....

Bilal

I don't understand, why would some ******* who wants to spend 100K pounds on a car worried about handling if teh car will never see a track day in its life. I am sick of comparisons about handling with the GT2/SL55 and moreover M5/E55. The best thing you can do is have a traffic light race in a straight line with each other, how many times do people say, Ill take you round teh Nurburgring in my porsche, while you bring your SL65 around? Bull****. BlueSL, why do you worry about handling or weight, do you taek your car around Trafalgar square at 148MPH?

blueSL

No I don't, but I do drive my cars on favourite roads where the cornering ability is at least exercised, if not actually stretched and I do it just for fun. I also drive on the Nurburgring from time to time.

In that context, I get to see the differences between the SL55 and a Ferrari and can safely say the SL55 lacks the ultimate agility due to its weight disadvantage against a 355/360/911 type of car.

The SL55 is the best car overall that I have ever had, but there's still great fun to be had from a car is rawer and even more driver focussed than it.

Bilal

Its true what they say, when you don't have something you will do whatever it takes to get it, but when you do have it finally, you get sick of it.

I think someone is getting bored of their SL

blueSL

Bilal, not sure what I've said to make you so belligerent, but no matter - you're not the first person to intimate I'm an ****-hole and will certainly not be the last. As it happens, you could not be further from the truth about the SL55. I think it's the greatest car but I do not regard it with the same evangelical fervour that I do a bottle of Cloudy Bay 2002, for example.

Mustard

I'm a Kiwi. I know Cloudy Bay well - too well. Try instead the 2002 Kim Crawford - exceptional. ......

JackStraw

I pictured you more as a Montrachet kind of guy, blueSL. Not being one to ignore a wine recommendation, I will heed yours and Mustard's advice and seek a bottle of Cloudy Bay this weekend.

Bilal

Really?

I thought we were all Heinekein fans for a moment there?

no seriously, i have seen the change of attitude in your posts about the SL55 when everybody started saying the 600 is a beast. You should value your car.

blueSL

Jack, Montrachet also features in my cellar, without doubt. Thanks for the recommendation Mustard, will try it.

As for the SL600, I'm sure the motoring mags will run back to back tests against the SL55, so the truth will out...

vraa

So, i'll take your SL600?