Here are two cars

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg) 05/12/2016 at 19:05 • Filed to: None

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Both are from the early ‘00s, both make about the same power from a big V8 and send it to the back wheels, and both happen to be grey. That’s about the extent of the similarities.

This 2001 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG is the spiritual successor of one of my personal favorite sports sedans, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . According to Wikipedia, the 2001 was a special year for the E55, partially due to the fact that it apparently makes 355 horsepower instead of the previous 349, and partially due to the fact that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Wikipedia doesn’t lie, folks. Even if this E55 is no different from any other W210 E55, it’s still a nifty ride. This one isn’t in perfect shape, but it looks like a solid driver.

The same could be said of this 2004 Saleen S281 Supercharged. While not quite as rare or cool as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the supercharger does boost the 4.6 V8 from 260hp to a more useful 350, though I’m aware it’s possible to get far more power out of these things. Oh, and Saleen gave it wings and vents everywhere.

At least it sounds amazing.

Steve in Manhattan > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2016 at 19:18

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That era was the nadir for Mercedes - bad build quality and poor reliability. I’d take the far less complicated Mustang.

Sovereign, Purveyor of Coupes > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2016 at 19:31

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E55 please. I’d rather have a Mustang II than an SN95

LongbowMkII > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2016 at 19:34

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I'll take the CB7.

RallyWrench > Steve in Manhattan 05/12/2016 at 19:48

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The W210 is actually a damned reliable car, and doesn’t seem to suffer many of the quality issues associated with other MB products of the era. I’ve heard of rust issues in states where roads are salted, but here in CA they don’t. The base M112 V6 is one of the best gas engines MB has ever made, we’ve never even had to take the heads off of one. The M113 V8 in this E55 is just a punched out relative of the V6, and is also very reliable. They’re no W124, but the 210 is not a bad car overall. I wouldn’t touch anything else Mercedes built from about 1995-2008, but I’d drive a W210. Of these choices though, I’d take the Mustang, because why the hell not.

Steve in Manhattan > RallyWrench 05/12/2016 at 20:01

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I recall that a partner at my old firm (Skadden in DC) had an E55 - he bitched about reliability/build quality a couple times when I asked him about the car. Another partner had a Boxster that he said never broke. Another one had a Chrysler Concorde, so I ignored him.

M54B30 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2016 at 20:09

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Mustang. I find that generation E Class to be tough on the eyes. Fast or not, still ugly to me.

fintail > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2016 at 21:54

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I think the wheels on the E55 might be from a 220 or 129 - they aren’t the 210 AMG wheels. Not bad cars, I ran one as a DD for 7 years. Mechanically solid, just service the transmission every 50K or so at most. And in harsh climates, watch for rust. They are getting very cheap now, with the mintest very low miles cars lucky to hit around 15K, good bang for the buck.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > fintail 05/12/2016 at 21:57

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They sure look like E55 AMG wheels...

fintail > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2016 at 22:01

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Notice the wheels on that car are staggered - they don’t appear to be on the car at the top of the page. The lip at front and rear appears to be the same. Also, the slots appear larger on the car at top. There were a few Monoblock derivatives at the time, and am not intimately familiar with them all, but somehow the ones at top just don’t look right. Might be an illusion, I suppose.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 05/12/2016 at 23:01

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I’m pretty sure they’re 17" from a C43 or C36.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > RallyWrench 05/12/2016 at 23:04

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Agree with everything but the mustang. 202's can be fine if you find a good example.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2016 at 23:08

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There’s a reason I flew 700 miles for my ‘01 E55, and it’s even more rare with the red/black interior and ventilated seats. Fantastic cars really, and don’t suffer from all the reliability issues the internet seems to think they do.

BTW, I’m pretty sure the one you pictured has 17" wheels from a C43 or C36. The diameter and offset don’t look quite right.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/12/2016 at 23:16

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That could be it. The size does look a little off, too. I had a C43, over 10 years ago now, I think the staggering was a lot less significant than on the E55.

I think there’s a chance the wheels on the pictured car above might also just be front wheels all around (not staggered). Maybe front stock wheels from a 220 S55 or similar.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/12/2016 at 23:19

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Nice car. I kind of miss mine now and then, a few years after I sold it.

Mine was tectite grey with a dark grey monotone interior, ventilated seats, COMAND:

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/12/2016 at 23:33

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Is the ‘01 actually rarer/more powerful than the other years?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 05/13/2016 at 00:12

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S55 wheels had slightly narrower spokes.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 05/13/2016 at 00:14

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Nice. I like that color. Glad I don’t have Comand though. Means I have a modern (subtle, plain black and the same amber backlight as stock) stereo with Bluetooth.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/13/2016 at 00:18

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To be honest I don’t know. ‘02 was the last year so I would guess it was the rarest with updated power, etc. I’ve seen both years listed at both power ratings, and I’ve seen Mercedes list different power ratings for the exact same cars once or twice. They weren’t always great at being consistent with things like that on limited production cars.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/13/2016 at 09:31

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The ones pictured appear to have larger/taller openings than the standard Aero II Monoblock used on period AMGs.

Here’s my old C43, with its stock wheels:

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/13/2016 at 09:33

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Yeah, the Comand (2.0, I think), limits upgrade potential. It became a quirky kind of relic pretty quickly, and as I live in a growing area, it sometimes had problems with new roads. Always worked though.

fintail > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/13/2016 at 09:35

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I suspect 02 is rarer simply due to a shorter production run - W210 sedan production apparently ended in January 02. I don’t think there were any real power differences.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 05/13/2016 at 09:51

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You’re right. They could even be knock offs.