Everyone has heard of the Mercedes E 60 AMG limousine, officially produced in only 148 examples by AMG but history records a rarer coupe version Mercedes 6.0 AMG Coupe. Only 13 examples were modified by AMG North America and one of them is now being sold at auction.
Photo: MB Market
This Mercedes 6.0 AMG Coupe was built by AMG North America in Wesmont, Illinois in 1988, in the period before AMG was taken over by Mercedes (Mercedes acquired 51% of AMG on January 1, 1999 and bought the remaining shares on January 1, 2005). It is estimated that only 13 examples were built by AMG and that is why this coupe is one of the rarest Mercedes models ever built.
AMG V8 6.0 liters derived from M117 engine
Under the hood is a modified AMG M117 V8 engine. Although the displacement of the engine is also 6.0 litres, the same as the V8 AMG engine in the E60 AMG, the engines are different but their power output is comparable. The Mercedes E60 AMG limousine uses a 6.0-litre V8 engine derived from the M119 5-litre V8 while the Mercedes 6.0 AMG Coupe is powered by a 6.0-litre V8 engine derived from the M117 5.5-litre V8 in the 560 SEL and 560 SEC models.
Originally, the Mercedes 6.0 AMG Coupe had an inline 6-cylinder engine from the 300 CE coupe that was replaced by the 5.5-liter M117 V8 from the 560 SEC. AMG then went on to modify the engine and the most important new feature is the adoption of two camshafts and four valves per cylinder instead of a single camshaft and two valves per cylinder. AMG also increased the bore and displacement from 5.5 to 6.0 litres. The result is impressive: 385 HP and 417 lb ft (565 Nm).
Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission and a differential lock. The car runs on 17-inch AMG Aero 1 wheels finished in chrome with Black-Pearl inserts and fitted with Dunlop SP Sport 8000 tyres measuring 215/45 at the front and 235/45 at the rear. The suspension is equipped with AMG springs and dampers and the exhaust is Sebring W124 AMG.
The car is painted in Black Pearl Blue-Black Metallic (199) and has USA spec lights. The car has the original AMG body kit which features a sculpted front bumper with fog lights, flared wheel arches, a rear ducktail spoiler, sculpted rear bumper, extended side skirts, and dual AMG exhaust outlets.
The interior is wrapped in Gray (278) leather, has Zebrano wood inserts on the dashboard and AMG steering wheel. Comfort features include automatic climate control, cruise control, electrically adjustable front seats and Sony XR-7200 audio system with CD changer.
The car has only 19,417 miles (31,248 km) on board and is in exceptional condition despite its troubled history. The car was sold in 1988 by Andy Cohen of Beverly Hill Motoring to a gentleman who drove it from Beverly Hills to Las Vegas on his first day of ownership. Before arriving in Las Vegas, he was stopped by the police for speeding and the car was impounded by the DEA after banned substances were found in it.
Subsequently, the car was purchased at a DEA auction by Rob Deer, a former MLB baseball player who kept it for 2 years before trading it to Symbolic International where it was then sourced by the current seller on behalf of the next owner. The car was then reacquired by the seller in 2006 and stored until last year.
The car was put on auction by the auction house MB Market. The auction is going to end on August 4, 2022 and the current price offer of 303,000 USD is already very high.