A super pretty W220 Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG, as seen on a car market in Beijing. The big Mercedes was in good shape, painted in Polar White, and fitted with the original AMG five-spoke alloy wheels.
The W220 Mercedes-Benz S-Class was launched in 1999. The S55 AMG model arrived in 2000. The early S55 AMG cars had a naturally aspirated 5.5 liter V8 under the hood. Starting in 2003, this engine was switched to a new 24-valve 5.4-liter supercharged V8.
This is a post-2003 car, with cool V8 Kompressor badges on the front fender. Kompressor is the German word for supercharger. The output of the motor is 493 hp and 700 Nm, which made it one of the fastest sedans of its time. The engine was mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission, sending horses to the rear wheels. The top speed was limited to 250 km/h and 0-100 took only 4.8 seconds.
The interior was in great shape too, with black leather seats and luxurious light-colored wood trim. The touch screen is not original but a typical late 2000s Chinese after-market unit.
The W220 Mercedes-Benz S-Class was officially sold in China. Mercedes offered the S280, the S350, the S500, and the S600. The S55 AMG model, however, was not offered in China. But some cars arrived via the gray market, and this must be one of those.
The spoiler is not original, and the tailpipes are after-market too.
Parts for these older Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans are hard to get in China nowadays, especially for such a rare model as the S55 AMG. So the lucky owner of this car really made an effort to keep it in such great shape. The small shops at the car market are usually able to fit other replacement parts, and some can order stuff abroad, but it isn’t easy. I once helped a Mercedes collector source parts on eBay for his W140 S-Class.
The W220 Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG is a perfect German super sedan in China.