2005 Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG

- 6.0L BiTurbo V12
- 900HP Weistec Tune
- $25k Worth of Weistec Performance Upgrades
- Retractable Hardtop
- Fun and Very Fast...Sounds Incredible Too

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG on a website other than our GarageKeptMotors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of this vehicle due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 220 photographs, a short walk-around-and-startup video, and a link to its major-accident-free Carfax report, please go to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.)

“… the bad boy in the Mercedes-Benz convertible clubhouse is the SL55's bigger brother, the SL65. It is an amazing creation in terms of engineering, and its stealth factor is second to none.” Robb Report, February 2005

In August 2004, ahead of the Robb Report, Motor Trend weighed in with their take on the distinctiveness of the SL65 AMG: “The digits attached to Mercedes-Benz's illustrious SL badge have been advancing nearly as fast as the price for a gallon of high-test. The move to 65 for 2005 signals the installation of a 6.0-liter, twin-turbo V-12 under the hood. That raises the power supply to 604 horses (up from the SL55's measly 493 hp) and jacks the torque peak to a lusty 738 lb-ft. Take that, Bimmer boys! To stop this loco-motive, AMG tuners have added eight-piston front brake calipers, 15.4-inch-diameter front rotors, 13.7-inch rear discs, and nineteen-inch wheels. Active Body Control will have its work cut out for it to keep this Black Forest bolide (meteor) on an even keel.”

All that placed the SL65 AMG at the very top of the Mercedes performance ladder. Well… not quite. It seems Orange County California's Weistech Engineering (“Home of the World's Fastest Mercedes”) had formulated tuning software to raise the engine's output, and not by just a little, and to re-engineer the transmission to handle all the added power. These super-performance gurus could—and did—modify the engine and transmission software to deliver a nearly 50% power upgrade for the twin-turbo, 6-liter V12, to an astonishing 900 horsepower! With an investment of almost $25,000 in the upgrading (documented by an invoice included in the photo gallery detailing all the added parts and systems for the engine and transmission), the Mercedes SL65 AMG offered here is a beneficiary of that Weistech tuning.

With all that has been done to improve its power-delivery, this silver-over-black SL65 AMG really is the ultimate stealth performer. While the very knowledgeable might spot the upgraded gunmetal-finish wheels, there are no badges, stickers, logos or any other distracting external hint at the asphalt-shredding power beneath its skin. And a very attractive and well-maintained skin it is. The body is free of dings, dents or other blemishes with the slight exception of the bottom of the front bumper showing minor scratching from parking abutments. Tinted glass, tasteful chrome trim, manufacturer's emblems, lighting lenses, wheels, tires are all in near-showroom condition. Oversized, drilled brake rotors and AMG-branded calipers are visible through the wheel openings. The upper and lower front grilles, the air-exchange bumper covers front and rear, and the expansive hood are virtually flawless. (The Carfax documents a “very minor damage” report in 2016, and includes a link to a TrueFrame comprehensive 2016 inspection report verifying no structural issues, and recording only “very minor cosmetic repairs” to the two bumper covers.)

The car's interior shows obsessive owner care. The black leather seat upholstery is free of wear. Door step-over sills show no scrapes or rib marks. The dark carbon-fiber trim is unblemished. Even the brake and accelerator pedals are pristine. All audio, information, and climate-control systems operate as they should, as do the wind-buffeting rear screen and the convertible power hardtop. Door trim is without flaws and, not surprisingly, factory all-weather floor mats are included.

Under the hood, the massive engine and its surrounding engine bay are clean and very well detailed. AMG badging showing the engine builder's signature is prominent on the carbon-fiber cover atop the 12-cylinder powerplant. The car's undercarriage, protected by several covers, shows no damage or sign of abuse or track use. And no rust. With under 6,000 miles per year, this SL65 is a very low-mileage example.

The overall excellent condition of this low-annual-mileage '05 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG is faithfully presented in the more than 220 high-definition photographs, together with a short walk-around-and-startup video (which gives a sampling of the intoxicating engine exhaust note), available at the GarageKeptMotors site. That said, there is no substitute for an in-person, up-close inspection. We encourage such inspections by interested parties at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. We ask only that an appointment be made by phone or email in advance. Our showroom is not open to the public.

The editors of The Robb Report named the SL65 as their Car of the Year selection. A high honor from a discerning automotive authority. In its Weistech-tuned form here, this SL65 AMG offers a good deal more of a very good thing.