I still remember the first time I got to drive the SLS AMG. I was at a Mercedes press event at Road America in Wisconsin and was given the opportunity to spend the weekend with one of these cars. Our Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com is one of these spectacular GTs, a 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG coupe offered by a dealer in Sherman Oaks, California.
The car was faultless. Not only did it look amazing, but even every single switch and control in the cockpit was extra-special, either covered with leather or made of aluminum. The fit and finish were spectacular. Hands-down, it was one of the finest-built cars I had been in at the time, on par with the offerings from the new Rolls-Royce cars, but in a sports/GT package. I still remember coming out of a sandwich shop in downtown Elkheart Lake after a food run and finding a crowd of people outside looking at the car in amazement.
My biggest takeaway from the experience is that I could not believe that Mercedes actually was able to build the SLS and have them in dealerships. Much like the BMW Z8 a few years before, this was basically a fully developed concept car brought to life. The SLS also delivered supercar levels of performance for the era yet combined it with a car you can literally use as a daily driver. Somehow this gullwing-door Mercedes is actually practical. It is capable of 0-60 times of 3.5 seconds, will cover the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds, can do 0-130 mph in 12.4 seconds and has a top speed of 197 mph.
Mercedes only built around 12,000 examples of the SLS. As an added bonus, the Mercedes Gullwing Group now considers them eligible for their 300SL events. This means the prices are going up, but you can still find them for a very fair price, especially when compared to some of their Italian competitors.
This 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar is powered by a hand-built 6.2-liter V8 engine. It produces 563 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. The engine is paired with a rear-mounted 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission for better weight distribution. Built on a lightweight aluminum spaceframe, the car features iconic gullwing doors, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, and high-performance compound disc brakes. Inside, the two-seat cockpit includes leather upholstery, navigation, and a premium audio system as standard.
This specific car is finished in the nice combination of what appears to be Diamond White Metallic over an Espresso Brown leather interior. It has covered a total of only 19,385 miles from new and looks to be in spectacular condition.
Even though the listing does not mention anything regarding service, I am guessing many records are available and would ask the selling dealer about this. If they do not have them, I might go to a dealer with the VIN (which is WDDRJ7HA3CA009077) and see what they have. It might be as easy as asking the dealer for a CARFAX report, which will document any dealer service.
This is probably the last time a car like this will still be affordable. It is just such a great car to drive and own and always feels amazingly special. This SLS has an asking price of only $239,980, which is just a bit more than they cost when new. If you want one and like the colors of this example, I suggest you buy it now.
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