We dont seem to have them in the US. The car started manicafturing from 03 but to anyone who wants to buy one in Europe. be aware that the 2002 models have only 476 HP VS the 03 that AMG delivered with 507 HP
I know a few idiots that didnt research this and now own a car that no one wants to buy from them.
The HP is not the only changes but the way.

 

All sl 55 in 2002 and 2003 has the same motor, nothing was changed.

The problem is that the 2002 model had the wrong horsepower (476) when in fact it has the same as the 2003 model (500).

AMG had to acknowledge this to the german authorities (tuv?), so they corrected the "mistake" from the 2003 model.

They were forced to do this probably because it's illegal to report the wrong horsepower output.

But for people not knowing this, it's unfortunate that a guy trying to sell his "476" hp engine has to suffer in the process.

 

I undestood that the 2002 models where released with 476HP ( you know how chip tuning works , so you understand it also has the capability for 507HP but only after aftermarket tuning. From what I understand they also didn't trust the car al the way with the total 507HP ( long story)
If you look up the first revews on YouTube ( not German but English) you will see a 2002 model being tested. The one with 55 VS 11 Turbo you will also hear them say 476. All the specs say the same thing and also . Maybe it's me but I drove a 2002 model once. It did feel different . I'm talking about 130 mph speeds that I drive daily here in Europe
Where did you get this info from ? Do you have a link to a reliable PDF or artikel released by
MB themselves?? Please let me know

 

The way they upped the horsepower from 500 to 517 here in europe, they just gave the supercharger a little more boost.

But I remember very clearly that the 2002 sl was underrated power wise.

Here's the link to the forum thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-...tor-trend.html

If you scroll down the page to jco-amg who writes:

I just read something interesting...regarding the horsepower rating on the SL 55 which confirms what I had been told...(that the 55 always had over 500HP) Apparently the different figures had to do with Cetification of Specification...that you have to certify a maximum achievable specification...and AMG opted to certify the engine at a lower number (for 2002) and then after further testing and production have now recertified the engine at 500HP for 2003.

Here is the Altavista translation from the German:

55 AMG, change of certifying The engine performance of the SL55 AMG became during the type testing in accordance with 80/1269/EWG i.d.F. 1999/99/EG with 350 KW with 6100 min-1 certifies. With this indication it should be guaranteed that in series production this achievement with security is not fallen below. Engine performance measurements in the context of the prescribed product monitoring (Conformity OF Production/copilot) resulted in that the achievement of the engines lies in the upper tolerance field permissible for series production. For this reason we decided to certify performance data again. For vehicles model year ago 2003 (code 802, production to including 3. Decade May 2002) exists the possibility of changing the achievement data in the registration papers of 350 KW (476 HP) on 368 KW (500 HP). New system permission for the SL55 AMG, which are at present provided, offers the basis for it. Thus the possibility is created of obtaining a correction of the indication of achievement in the registration papers. The SL 55 AMG starting from model year 2003 (code 803, production starting from 1.Dekade June 2002) is certified with an output of 368 KW (500 HP) in the registration papers.


So there you have it, you could probably get you "476 hp", changed to 500 and get the papers of it, if you're really serious about it.

Yours sincerely
Rune Solem

 

Still very strange . I remember one video , review of the SL 55
The model was a 2002 model. The reporter clearly said , the car has 476 HP but no worries for the US market ( it was a US revieuw) because he said that by the time the car would hit the US market it would be the 500+ HP model
I cant find the damn movie, Its on youtube somewhere.
I read the article. Im almost convinced. Im gonna take it to MB tomorrow see what they tell me.
By the way, Im having an issue with my seat ventilation. I just cant figure it out. I have holes in my seat , i just dont seem to have the blue lights, no air comes out. The thread is located here: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...ml#post4945942
You seem to know a lot about the 55. Would you mind checking this thread out, see if you can tell me whats going on here. I just took pics and i'm about to post them on that thread.
Im post the result of my conversation with MB tomorrow
thanks !

 

You don´t have the ventilation option in Your car! Sorry.

 

But why do I have the holes in the seats ? There are many models with leather without the holes

 

Many car manufacturers use perforated leather on their seats, without having a ventilation option. The perforated leather in itself is more breathable than solid leather.

 

I presume your right well I just got the car I'm very happy with it. It took 6 months to find a nice black on grey I was looking for. I really wanted the keyless go option , I have that on the car I guess I can do without the vents for a while. I'll just have some fun and sell it in a year and buy a 05/06 model by then with all the extras
I hear the 05 models are better

 

Placebo, if you ask me!

 

Youre thinking of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_ZvIWrtYx4

Well, Tiff Nedell didn't know that it was the wrong hp number.
He tested the car so early that they hadn't changed it in the spec's yet.

If you still not believe me, just take your car for a spin against one with the so called "476" horses and we'll see who's right

But if your local merecedes shop sends an email to AMG you'll get the same answer for sure