Mercedes SL73 was Powered by AMG's Monstrous V12 Engine
The fascinating story fo how an AMG engine project grew in size and came to power a very rare SL, as well as an exquisite Italian supercar.
Yes, that is an official badge - not a mistake
Mercedes-Benz badging and nomenclature has changed quite a bit over the last few years. What is badged on the back does not quite represent what is under the hood. But there was a time when the badging very much corresponded to engine size, and that makes this SL73 nomenclature even more remarkable. Let us reintroduce you to the craziest Mercedes SL V12 even built.
The big daddy of all German V12 cars
In the 1990s there was simply no other convertible with the presence of Mercedes-Benz's SL. The R129 series cars had striking styling and unrivaled elegance. But one in particular, was a touch more outrageous than others. Toward the end of the R129 model lifecycle, AMG got involved and built 85 very special SL73s, between 1999 and 2001. Each one has become a modern classic.
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Subtle looks hide huge performance potential
One of the rarest of all AMGs, the SL73 masked its unbelievable performance in a subtle way. Unlike other AMGs, such as the Hammer, the design was left relatively unaltered. There were additional cooling vents cut into the bodywork, behind the front wheel arches, which housed very stylish AMG five-spoke alloy wheels. The overall design still looks goods and is an ode to the tasteful upgrades that AMG were capable of.
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The SL where a hardtop started making sense
The handsome R129 lines were enhanced if an owner fitted the optional aluminum hardtop - and for SL73 drivers, that was a given. The performance was stupendous, even for a late 1990s car, with a top speed of 186mph. That is the kind of velocity that would definitely trouble a canvas top with extreme air buffeting.
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The biggest beat of all
If you chose to remove the aluminum hardtop or retract SL73's canvas roof, the rewards were real. Although there were only two exhaust ends, instead of four, they made a most inspiring sound, reverberating the combustion order of a truly monumental V12 engine. Even today, very few performance cars can compete with the sheer sound signature and aural drama of AMG's SL73 under acceleration.
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The biggest 'Benz V12 of them all
The codename for this legendary engine is M120 and all you need to know is that it is a 7.3-liter V12. An enlargement of the Mercedes-Benz's 6-liter V12, the M120 engine cranked out 525hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. Those were supercar numbers back in 1999. An unintended consequence of this engine development by AMG was that it would eventually also find its way into the Pagani Zonda hypercar, which also featured this 7.3-liter V12.
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Pride of place among the pre-2000 AMG greats
Among the collection of great AMG builds before the millennium, the SL73 is a forgotten hero. Of the 85 cars built, many were exported to Brunei, which meant that any encounter with an SL73 was very rare for European or American 'Benz enthusiasts. Many followers of AMG might know of the impressive V12-powered SL, but few have ever seen one roll by in real life. In some way, this scarcity has only added to its reputation and increased the value of those cars still running in pristine condition.
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The ultimate late 1990s autobahn stormer
The conventional SL600 might have been a very fast 1990s German luxury car, but SL73 amplified that performance potential by quite some margin. Despite the SL73's curb weight of 4500lb, it could run 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds, which is quite some achievement with the tardy five-speed automatic it came equipped with. Roll-on acceleration was tremendous and the general sense of occasion when that huge V12 was humming along, made any drive in an SL73 truly an occasion worth celebrating.
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