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Spotted for Sale: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series
One of the rarest supercars has hit the market, and you won't believe the price!
November 18, 2024
Some cars are remembered for years whilst some gradually fizzle from our memory. Here are seven cars that don't deserve to fizzle away.
Some cars are remembered for years as legends and the price they go for rises accordingly. Think Ferrari F40, that is probably the ultimate antonym of an unsung hero! Other cars though just don’t take off for one reason or another, or sometimes they gradually fizzle from our memory, but they don’t always deserve to.
Here are a few cars that are by no means unheard of, heck, some of them are even going for more than list price, so they can’t be that unloved, but for one reason or another, I think they all deserve more recognition than they get.
One corner of what you might call the holy trinity of 2003 — Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT and Mercedes SLR McLaren — the SLR was one of the fastest and most cutting-edge cars of its day, but now lives relatively quietly in the shadows of the Enzo and CGT.
In the day, the three cars listed in the region of £300,000 - £400,000, and values now speak for themselves, with the more limited Enzo on the market for up to £4 million, Carrera GTs well over a million and SLRs barely fetching their list price, even after 20 years of hefty inflation. Rarity has to come into it with over 2,000 SLRs produced, and perhaps its understated looks, weight and lazy five-speed auto are the big reasons the SLR isn’t universally lusted after, but it was a truly usable hypercar for blasting across continents with carbon-fibre monocoque construction from McLaren, and whilst it will never have the legendary status of the Enzo and CGT, I think the SLR is an icon of its era that deserves a bit more love.
This car is a Roadster of which just 520 were produced so it’s much rarer than the Coupe, it retains the Coupe’s raising doors like it’s doing a lateral raise in the gym, and given the SLR’s muscly south of France character and the noise that comes out of those side pipes, I feel like the SLR really suits being a drop-top.
Obviously, the Lamborghini Gallardo isn’t an unsung hero. It was one of the most popular supercars of the 2000s and it transformed Lamborghini’s market share by offering a more affordable ‘baby Lambo’. Even the rear-wheel-drive Gallardo isn’t exactly unsung as the LP550-2 Balboni famously boasted just two driven wheels, but I wonder if you’ve ever heard of the LP560-2.
Built as a swansong for the Gallardo, just 100 rear-wheel-drive LP560-2s were produced worldwide and just 12 made it to the UK, but despite being one of the very few chances to own a rear-wheel-drive Gallardo, it remains relatively unknown and prices are pretty sensible given its rarity.
It has a mega 5.2-litre V10 which should provide all the tail-happy thrills you could want and uncorrupted steering without the front axle being driven. Compared to an actual Balboni, you’ll be spending way less money and there’s no need to be scared of piling on the miles, so it’s a great shout if you want the drama of a Lambo in a proper driver’s car.
The 12C is far from unknown. It was the car that reignited McLaren Automotive after all, but I feel like no one really talks about them much anymore, you never see them, and I’m not sure we quite appreciate how much this car inspired the next generation of sports and supercars.
It has a full carbon tub, the performance from its twin-turbocharged engine was just ridiculous in its day and its trick suspension provided a ride more akin to a Mercedes E Class than a mid-engined supercar.
What it was mostly criticised for was its lack of emotion, but that was at a time when we were used to screaming naturally-aspirated motors. That’s still my preference, but now everyone else has gone down the turbocharged route, we’re starting to see that the 12C was ahead of the game, and with even the best examples available at well under £100,000, it might be a brave ownership prospect, but I think it’s a steal for a piece of automotive history.
I think everyone acknowledges the V12 Vantage is a nice car, but I haven’t really seen anyone apart from myself and the people who actually own these cars really sing the praises of just how good they are.
The V12 Vantage absolutely nails the small car, huge engine formula which results in so much fun, and available with a manual gearbox throughout its life, it’s a wonderful chunk of nostalgia to rumble around in. The torque is epic and for me it is one of the all-time great engines, and the V12 Vantage represents the end of Aston Martin’s old era in terms of both the car itself and its legendary motor.
When you’re looking at as little as £50,000 for an original six-speed manual, they really are mega value, or you can spend more than double that on the improved V12 S version with a seven-speed manual or a bit less for the less desirable Sportshift III, so there’s something for everyone, and regardless of budget, I’d have one of these in my dream garage.
For this example, I’ve chosen an original manual with plenty of miles under its belt because I think it represents awesome value and I’d love to send it over 100,000 miles in a cloud of rear tyres.
The SLS was iconic in its day thanks to its Gullwing doors harking back to the 300SL, but even more so than the McLaren 12C, I don’t hear many people talking about them anymore, and the Roadster is even less talked about since, unlike the SLR, it loses the Coupe’s famous doors which were so much of what made the SLS special.
Recently though, I was lucky enough to drive this very car for an upcoming video, and I urge you not to overlook the SLS Roadster. I don’t want to give too much away, but this car really suits being a Roadster, it represents the last of the legendary AMG 6.2-litre V8 and it’s a much better car to drive than you might think.
It’s also rarer than a Gullwing with just 73 cars showing as registered in the UK and it’s about £80k cheaper to boot. For me, this is a mega car with no rivals that you’ll wish you didn’t sleep on in years to come.
The M600 is a bit of a unicorn and I’d say it’s pretty unknown to people who aren’t car nerds, but if you’re like me, you’ll remember that Top Gear episode back in 2012 where Richard Hammond drove an M600 to Italy alongside Clarkson and May in the then-new Lamborghini Aventador and McLaren 12C.
Alright, the M600 broke down, but what stuck with me more is what an absolute brute the M600 was with an intense, old-school driving experience often likened to a modern F40 — high praise indeed!
Just 30 were produced worldwide and now is a rare moment one is actually on the market, but I think its badge and lack of polish compared to supercars from the more mainstream manufacturers mean it doesn’t get the love it deserves for such a rare and unique beast.
The ‘new’ NSX is so unsung I think many people have forgotten it ever existed, but the NSX was a technical marvel employing a hybridised twin-turbocharged V6 powertrain five years before the Ferrari 296.
The NSX was hand-built in a dedicated factory and received mostly praise thanks to its clever drivetrain and capable four-wheel-drive chassis, just falling short of the big boys in terms of character. Despite the positive reception though, the NSX was pulled due to poor sales and it looks like only 85 are registered in the UK.
You can get one for under £100,000, or this one commands a premium as the last-ever NSX to come to the UK. Certainly an interesting prospect for those who like something a bit different, and something you’re very unlikely to see another one of at an event.
