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I had been looking around for some time to see if anyone tried installing the GT grille on an earlier r231 and couldn’t find anything on the forum soooo thought I’d share! Wheels are MRR VP3 20x9 et30 and 20x10.5 et35 lowered on Brabus springs.
Wow. That grille looks fantastic. And I am usually not a fan of those mono styled rims but the twist gives them a modern, well, twist. Nicely done. Please share info on the grille.
Very interesting, although not my preferred look. The grill suggests a new facelifted model that MB could have done had it not committed to finally creating a new version of the car. For me, I still prefer the old school look of my 2016 front end.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Not to take anything away from this photo presentation, it does appear that the photos have been manipulated, to give a look that is probably different than the car actually appears when viewed in person.
Thanks for all the comments. I was hesitant with the grill initially and went back and forth between trading her in or keeping her. She’s paid for and living in FL gives me access to Renntech which is about 30-40min away. The guys are great there and I know I go down the modification road with them. Anyways, I decided to see what aesthetically I can do, just to keep her modern. The grille was from AliExpress and inexpensive so thought I’d order one just to see what an earlier SL550 would look like with the GT grill. Personally I like the change, I know it’s not probably for everyone but not trying to fake out what’s under the hood, I just like the update look.
yes the coloring on photos were altered as I volunteered to submit photos to the vendor (Motoroso) to use for other SL owners looking examples of the MRR VP3s. I chose the wheels just for style. I don’t track or race, just mostly to and from work. they definitely aren’t the lightest rims.
I forgot to answer the question about degree of difficulty and cost. So the front bumper had to be removed to install the grille. I followed the schematics about the car and had to wedge my way thru the wheel well to get to a couple of areas. It was easier to work on when the car was on a lift. The cost: at the time I bought the grille from RiderStorm or CarbonArt on AliExpress it was $189... but of course shipping put it over $200. The wheels are from Motoroso, Alex is awesome to deal with and made sure the offset and fitment was appropriate. I did want a little wider and taller in the rear but I went with Nitto Invo 255/30 front and 295/25 rear. His prices were reasonable and listed on their website. Let me know if I missed any questions.
The wheels aren't really my thing, but I like the grille - if they had one that fit the SL63, I'd probably get it. The SL63 has a different bumper, apparently.
I always loved the standard grills on the pre-facelift cars. My only complaint with the AMG front end is the grill. Sometimes I think changes like this are more about personalization than they are about cosmetics. With two different grill types, now the car is too busy in front. JMO. Hopefully, it has accomplished whatever the goal was in the first place...
Hey everyone! Yep the car has been ceramic coated. She doesn’t get out much but it’s easier to wipe down the car with the coating. Wheels as well.
The grille was more of a personalization decision than it was for anything else. Not trying to make the car what it’s not, just luv the design. I have a GLA35 and also preferred the look on my ML.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
