When you think of a genuine AMG car, it’s easy to assume that any Mercedes-Benz product with the iconic badge will be out of your price range. Fortunately, this is a falsehood, as the company’s in-house tuning division has produced some very competent road cars in the last 20 years that have remained eminently attainable by mere mortals. This latest Barn Finds Exclusive is one of just 247 examples made that year and comes with a variety of one-year-only upgrades.
The seller is a friend of mine who specializes in JDM cars and trucks but also has an eye for rare European performance cars. He bought the CLK55 for a few reasons, the most obvious of which is its clean condition. But he also knew that 2005 was a special year for this model as it featured a variety of upgrades over previous years. The seller has also made both mechanical and cosmetic improvements while the car has been in his care, including refinishing the wheels; repairing a crack in the front spoiler and refinishing the bumper; replacing the valve cover gaskets; and more.
The 2005 models were improved in a variety of ways, including: stiffer suspension components to improve handling; upgraded brakes that featured upgraded larger floating rotors with six piston calipers in the front and four piston calipers at the back; improved steering rack with more feedback than previous years; improved center console design, along with more scratch resistant nano-paint; revised transmission software with more aggressive “M” mode; and a redesigned exhaust system with quad outlets. A front strut brace has been added.
Though it shows six digits on the odometer, the interior condition looks like that of a far younger car. Black leather bucket seats are in great shape and still quite supportive, and the carpets are also said to be in excellent condition. The seller has added a Kenwood radio with Bluetooth and a rear back-up camera; otherwise, it’s unaltered inside. The only real modifications are a set of long-tube headers and a muffler delete, and as this YouTube video shows, it sounds quite burly. This is a newer model than we typically feature, but it’s sure to be a future classic in short order.
- Price: $15,500
- Location: Blue Ridge, Georgia
- Mileage: 118,000
- Title Status: Clean
How about a description of what powers this car and some performance specs. I was assuming this was supercharged but it looks to be a N/A engine.
The engine is a 5.4L, naturally aspirated, DOHC V8 with 362HP. Today’s E53 coupe puts out 429HP, and it’s only the mid-level model.