Back in the early 2000s, the Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG was considered the world’s fastest car with automatic transmission until Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren came and claimed that title. A recent video by AutoTopNL starring an elderly R230 SL-Class reminds us just what a monster it was.
Starting from model year 2003, the SL 55 shipped with a 5.4-liter turbocharged V8 under the hood normally rated at 500 PS (493 hp / 368 kW). A five-speed auto gearbox took it from zero to 97 km/h (0-60 mph) in 4.5 seconds and ultimately all the way to an electronically capped 250 km/h (155 mph). The numbers sound impressive even today, so you can imagine how they looked two decades ago.
The sports car featured in the video has been tuned to deliver 630 PS (621 hp / 470 kW). IF you listen in on the exhaust sound, you may lose your connection with reality for a moment, thinking that the sound belongs to a high-end muscle car and not a luxury coupe.
Thanks to a removed speed limiter, this particular SL-Class is also faster than the original, nearly reaching 290 km/h (180 mph) in the video.