During the 1980s and 1990s, AMG was a very close tuner to Mercedes, but was still completely independent operationally and financially. Although they signed a collaboration agreement with Mercedes in 1993, they were not acquired by Daimler until 2005. This allowed them to develop highly exclusive projects, without the official endorsement of the German brand. For example, it allowed them to produce a Mercedes CL 700 AMG, of which only two units are known to exist all over the planet. And one is for sale.
The Mercedes CL 700 AMG was never an “official” AMG car, as was the Mercedes E 55 AMG or the Mercedes C 36 AMG. The Mercedes CL of the nineties were cars with a luxurious and refined orientation, and on paper, they had a character that did not match the usual sportiness that AMG printed on its creations. However, the German preparer created several high-performance versions of the Mercedes CL, always based on the gigantic V12 engine of its top of the range. The M120 even came to see its displacement raised to 7.3 liters of displacement.
Only two units of the CL 700 AMG were manufactured. The whereabouts of the other unit is unknown.
There were several AMG versions of the CL, with surnames like 600 AMG, 70 AMG, 72 AMG, and even 73 AMG. All of them refer to the displacement of their engine in their nomenclature, reaching 525 CV in the very scarce CL 73 AMG. All of them were produced in extremely few numbers. For example, of the Mercedes CL 70 AMG only 40 units were manufactured, and of these, only two were renamed as CL 700 AMG. And if you wonder why, I just have to tell you the name of the client who ordered them: the very same Sultan of Brunei.
The Sultan had and still has one of the largest car collections on the planet, and of some models, such as the Mercedes S-Class W140, he had dozens of units of each color. Be that as it may, the seller of this Mercedes CL 700 AMG claims that only two units were built, and that the unit for sale was originally supplied by Greenoaks of Maidenhead, a Berkshire (UK) Mercedes dealer – the place where the Sultan used to have his summer residence in the British Isles.
All the Mercedes CL touched by AMG were cars with a very low circulation and very expensive price.
The car in question It has just over 100,000 km on its odometer., and has had two owners after the Sultan himself. It was initially painted in the exclusive Designo LCP color, a color that appears blue or green depending on the light at the time. Its interior is upholstered to match, with green and black leather and natural lacquered wood. It has all the extras that the car could have at the time, such as xenon headlights, parking sensors, a panoramic roof or heated seats, with memory and electric drive. A true full-equipment.
under the hood beats a V12 engine of 7,055 cubic centimeters and 503 horsepower, transmitted to the rear axle through a five-speed automatic gearbox. Although it was a heavy and unagile car, its 720 Nm of torque helped make its acceleration seem eternal and effortless. Its braking equipment, suspension, and 19-inch wheels are AMG exclusives, and a search for its VIN confirms the authenticity of those items. This car was a real gem in 1998.
It is rumored that its cost was 250,000 pounds in 1998. More than a supercar.
The car in question received full maintenance and its cylinder heads were rebuilt to ensure perfect mechanical condition. It is on sale in the UK for “only” £89,995, a price that does not seem exaggerated, given its perfect mechanical and cosmetic condition.