• Offered from the Youngtimer Collection
• Very rare pre-merger AMG 6.0 model
• Equipped with matching factory hardtop

Built to replace the long-running and outdated R107, the Mercedes-Benz R129 models were announced in 1989. Produced as a two-door, two-seat roadster with an automated soft top and a colour-matched aluminium detachable hard top, the R129 was offered in several models, including the 500 SL. As in the past, AMG offered a variety of engine performance packages for those clients who wanted extra power; however, beginning in 1990, AMG and Mercedes-Benz had signed a co-operation agreement allowing AMG options to be offered in Mercedes-Benz showrooms. Thus, the R129 is the first Mercedes-Benz to be offered with official AMG versions.

Offered here is one of those early AMGs, built during the co-operation years before the official merger. At its heart is a bored and stroked version of the standard Mercedes-Benz M119 5-litre V-8 engine. Increased to 6.0 litres, the engine develops 380 bhp, up from 322 from standard. Additions such as the colour-matched monoblock wheels, a lip spoiler, glossy wood trim interior and colour-shifting blue-black paint all signal that this is not your standard R129.

Some sources state that just 50 pre-merger 6.0s were made, and it is much more common to find an AMG-tuned R129 after the 1993 facelift. Incredibly rare, very driveable – this is a car for any discerning collector. To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/pa19.