A limited-edition Mercedes-AMG built to mark the 130th anniversary of acknowledged car inventors Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler will almost certainly be the most exclusive model ever sold in New Zealand.
It is the S63 4Matic Cabriolet Edition 130, so called because only 130 will be built. At most, five will be available Downunder, if only because of the sales success of the AMG badge in this part of the world.
An Australian report has left New Zealand out of the picture, saying the five examples are likely to be quickly snapped up across the ditch, where each S63 Edition 130 is expected to cost roughly A$450,000 including luxury sales tax. The car is listed in Germany at 226,457 euros (NZ$377,000).
But Mercedes-Benz NZ says it is very much in the picture. “Of the five 130 Editions for Australia we will be able to access one,” said its public relations man Matt Bruce. “If there’s a New Zealand customer with his heart dead set on one, we will be able to get it.”
The Edition 130 will land at the same time as the standard Mercedes-AMG S63 Cabriolet, unveiled at this week’s Detroit motor show. But the Edition 130 will have a look all its own, including an exclusive paint finish, matte black 20-inch alloys with red brake callipers, and a red fabric roof. Inside, it gets leather upholstery in contrasting colours.
Other Edition 130 special features include floor mats, badging, and an indoor car cover embroidened with ‘Edition 130 – 1 of 130’. The owner also gets a ‘130’ badge keyring.
What isn’t different to the standard S63 Cabriolet is the engine and 4Matic four-wheel-drive system. Both models share a 5.5-litre biturbo V8 delivering 430kW at 5500rpm and 900Nm at 2250-3750rpm via a seven-speed automatic. The powertrain is good for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.9 seconds and a governed top speed is of 250km/h.
Mercedes-AMG board chairman Tobias Moers said the Edition 130 was a fitting tribute to the history of Benz soft-tops. “The first automobiles from Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler were open vehicles,” he said.
“Mercedes-AMG honours this achievement of the founding fathers with this highly exclusive cabriolet, and demonstrates the developments the automobile has undergone in the last 130 years, developments which would have been inconceivable at that time.”