R129 SL 72 AMG (M120 7-liter engine specs)

[gsxr]

Seller of the SL73 on BaHaT, and some peanut gallerists, are speculating the Silver car currently at €150k may surpass the Black one that sold recently for $610,000 USD.

Well this one went out with a whimper, despite the constant cheerleading by the seller and some other parties as well.

Reserve not met, high bid €420k. Needed to move up another 50% to surpass the Sotheby's sale.

 

[gsxr]

Peanut gallerist found an old Bookface post that leaked what is probably the current flipper's entry price.

Japan Auction showed opening bid of €249k, sold for €390k plus fees / transport. Flipper probably is into it for low 400's and was expecting to bid to 600k+ for a tidy six-figure profit. Looks like they might have their €€€ tied up into it for a while.

Ard Import is in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.​

andthernpthedSstl2hAgl955inh484f0t8030in21ai082a1lfl1m022p1 7c 3rg26 ·​

​

Coming in Japanup for auction 2000. SL73 AMG in R129 body, 7.3 V12, with a turbocharger.km.
- very good R129 body on SL73 AMG,
- Panoramic glass roof,
- Exclusive leather interior,
- one owner for over 10 years,
- model - AMG00997.3,
Grade 4.5
Interior B
Mileage 31,656 km.
VIN - WDB1290761F190184
- minor wear in the cabin above the driver,
- stone chips on the windshield,
- minor scratches on the body,
_______________
Bidding deadline 05/04/2024 11:59
Start price 39,800,000 ¥ / approx. 248,500 EUR (auction starting price!)​

Ard Import

Tuleb Jaapanis🇯🇵 oksjonile 2000a. R129 kerel SL73 AMG, 7.3 V12, läbisõduga 3️⃣1️⃣.6️⃣5️⃣6️⃣km. - väga korralik R129 kerel SL73 AMG, 📌 - Panoraam klaas katus, - Exclusive leather interior, - üle 10a...

www.facebook.com

 

[weide1]

Couldn't find that engine on any of the 076 chassis
Do you have more info like maybe transmission number? Or more photos to narrow down by spec?

No transmission number, but I have like 75 photos. Are these appropriate?

 

[WDB748372]

No transmission number, but I have like 75 photos. Are these appropriate?

First time doing this for any R129 but to my surprise I narrowed it down quite a bit.
That SL72 has ADS II (216) and folding mirrors (500) and there are 236 LHD SL600s with that.
Looks Green Black Metallic (189) to me or Black Opal for the American folks.
This Black/Grey interior code should be 561 "Exclusive Black Leather" although 511 (all black) decodes to the same description. Down to 17 cars.

More images/documents could be super helpful. Do you know where it was ordered?

 

[R129 UK]

...folding mirrors (500)

Do you know where it was ordered?

Folding mirrors is an R129 trait on Japanese spec. cars - I have never seen one without them so that would be a good starting point in terms of ordering location.

 

[weide1]

First time doing this for any R129 but to my surprise I narrowed it down quite a bit.
That SL72 has ADS II (216) and folding mirrors (500) and there are 236 LHD SL600s with that.
Looks Green Black Metallic (189) to me or Black Opal for the American folks.
This Black/Grey interior code should be 561 "Exclusive Black Leather" although 511 (all black) decodes to the same description. Down to 17 cars.

More images/documents could be super helpful. Do you know where it was ordered?

You really did fine so far. Thank you very much.
I have no documents, but indeed more images. Will i post them here, or should i better send them to you via DM?
70+ images maybe makes this post such a mess?

 

[R129 UK]

You really did fine so far. Thank you very much.
I have no documents, but indeed more images. Will i post them here, or should i better send them to you via DM?
70+ images maybe makes this post such a mess?

Zip file?

 

[weide1]

Zip file?

I don't know how.

Order Location is 839 Japan, and colorcode indeed is Green Black Metallic (189). Owner confirmed via Whatsapp.
I asked him twice for complete VIN. He is cautious. He has the right to be so.

 

[R129 UK]

I don't know how.

Order Location is 839 Japan, and colorcode indeed is Green Black Metallic (189). Owner confirmed via Whatsapp.
I asked him twice for complete VIN. He is cautious. He has the right to be so.

If you are using a Windows PC you can select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to compress, right-click, and choose "Send to" then "Compressed (zipped) folder"

There is no obvious reason for a seller not to disclose the VIN but I have experienced this before myself.

Proceed with caution, presumably you will be seeing the car in person before purchasing so it can be checked at this time.

 

[gsxr]

I asked him twice for complete VIN. He is cautious. He has the right to be so.

It may help if you ask only for the last 5-6 digits... sometimes people are more willing to share partial data.

 

[weide1]

It's no big deal. I am not into buying. I just inform about specs, since it's a rare car.
At the moment i am busy with a few other owners of such rare stuff.
Besides, none of these are for sale anyway.

 

[WDB748372]

Folding mirrors is an R129 trait on Japanese spec. cars - I have never seen one without them so that would be a good starting point in terms of ordering location.

I would've assumed it was at least available in Europe too? Reason I asked location is there are 2 ordered in Germany and the other 15 are Japan so that would've narrowed it down but down to the 15 now.

I have no documents, but indeed more images. Will i post them here, or should i better send them to you via DM?
70+ images maybe makes this post such a mess?

Either way works for me.

 

[weide1]

Either way works for me.

DM sent.

Edit: i just asked the owner if he is interested to enlist here. And hopefully even participate. Owners experiences are valuable.

 

[R129 UK]

I would've assumed it was at least available in Europe too? Reason I asked location is there are 2 ordered in Germany and the other 15 are Japan so that would've narrowed it down but down to the 15 now.

It was available but a very rare option on Gen 1 and 2 cars. I don't ever remember seeing it on a European spec. car when I was searching for mine (96 to 98 years) and I looked at a lot of adverts for well over a year before buying.

The reason I know this is because my garage is quite tight on width and folding mirrors would have been a great option to have.

 

[WDB748372]

It was available but a very rare option on Gen 1 and 2 cars. I don't ever remember seeing it on a European spec. car when I was searching for mine (96 to 98 years) and I looked at a lot of adverts for well over a year before buying.

The reason I know this is because my garage is quite tight on width and folding mirrors would have been a great option to have.

They are a nice option to have. I have it on two of my 210 chassis along with ADS, although not the height adjustable one. I don't really use them. They're just there

 

[R129 UK]

They are a nice option to have. I have it on two of my 210 chassis along with ADS, although not the height adjustable one. I don't really use them. They're just there

I have it on my W164 but it is still too wide to fit in my garage

 

[gsxr]

SL72 for sale, claimed to be one of 35, and have titanium rods?

"AMG built just 35 of these scarce, pre-merger, treasures and 25 of them were immediately scooped up by the Sultan of Brunei and never to be seen again… This is just one of the ten built, that were snuck out to private collections to come our way and the first to come from an original owner! "

1995 Mercedes-Benz SL72 AMG

Bid for the chance to own a 1995 Mercedes-Benz SL72 AMG at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #215,109.

bringatrailer.com

 

[maw1124]

Yeah I'm gonna go with...



I don't feel like looking it up, but I'm pretty sure these came with forged connecting rods from the factory... in which case I'll take those for the kind of money for which this is likely to trade.

And they were 73 not 72... in 1999 not 1995

Of course, I could be wrong, and AMG could have done this with Ti rods in 1995, only in Japan, years earlier than anywhere else in the world, as the certificate says.

But for my money, I'm rolling with Paul

maw

 

[Otrebla49]

Intended for sale in Russian market originally tough..

Mercedes Benz VIN decoded at Mercedes VIN Decoder | Decode Your Mercedes-Benz VIN

'773' - after looking it up, it would mean '3-piece rear spoiler'

=========================================

FIN WDB1290761F117237
Model SL 600
Engine 120981 12 005975
Transmission 722362 04 111158
Order Number 0 4 524 12560
Order Location RUSSIA
Production Number 3065366
Interior ANTHRACITE EXCLUSIVE LEATHER (571A)
Paint 1 BRILLIANT SILVER METALLIC (744U)
Paint 2 BRILLIANT SILVER METALLIC (744O)
Release Date 1995-03-28
Delivery Date 1995-04-20
Approx. Build Date 1995-02

Code Description
216 SELF-LEVELING SUSPENSION ALL-AROUND, WITH ADAPTIVE DAMPING SYSTEM (ADS)
260 TYPE DESTINATION ON TRUNK LID - ELIMINATION
281 STEERING WHEEL WITH SPORTS DESIGN (390 MM) AND GEARSHIFT LEVER IN LEATHER TRIM
404 MULTI-CONTOUR SEAT, FRONT LEFT
405 MULTI-CONTOUR SEAT, FRONT RIGHT
406 SINGLE SEAT WITH ORTHOPAEDIC FRONT SEAT BACKREST, LEFT AND RIGHT
511 RADIO MB EXQUISIT WITH TRAFFIC NEWS DECODER (VK), WITH RDS (PANASONIC)
565 REAR SEATS USED ON SL MODELS
682 FIRE EXTINGUISHER
740 BLACK SOFT TOP FABRIC 9001
772 AMG STYLING PACKAGE - FRONT SPOILER, SIDE SKIRTS AND REAR APRON
773 No code designation available
774 SHELL MODIFICATION FOR AMG-WHEELS
795 AMG COMPLETE WHEELS (4 PCS.): - 8.5 X 17 ET18 FR. AXLE 235/45, 10 X 17 ET17 REAR AXLE 255/40, 3-PIECE

 

[gsxr]

Nice catch. Something isn't matching up here. Delivered to Russia yet sold new in Japan?

 

[Otrebla49]

While watching the photos from the ad, I saw that speedometer shows zero when ignition is of - but then goes to around 18-19 kph with engine running at idle rpm - my guess is no driver was sitting there when 'creeping/crawling in 'D/N'.. more things herd to add to the 'not matching up' list

Ps. And thank you for editing my previous post, Dave

 

[R129 UK]

Nice catch. Something isn't matching up here. Delivered to Russia yet sold new in Japan?

There is possibly more, I decoded the VIN last night but didn't bother to post it.

The latest advert link in your post #267 states Xenon headlights but these are not AFAIK:






At least not like I have ever seen on an SL (example below):

 

[gsxr]

Very likely an aftermarket Xenon/HID conversion, installed into halogen reflector lights. This is NOT a good modification. Factory HID's are fantastic, aftermarket conversions... not so much.

 

[maw1124]

Yeah I'm gonna go with...

View attachment 224807

I don't feel like looking it up, but I'm pretty sure these came with forged connecting rods from the factory... in which case I'll take those for the kind of money for which this is likely to trade.

And they were 73 not 72... in 1999 not 1995

Of course, I could be wrong, and AMG could have done this with Ti rods in 1995, only in Japan, years earlier than anywhere else in the world, as the certificate says.

But for my money, I'm rolling with Paul

maw

Seller seems to have answers for all this, so who knows? I find it odd that AMG spoke so proudly of the M120 based 7.0L and 7.3L cars but never mentioned a 7.2L car. That humble brag copy would write itself ("7.2L was just not enough for us; we knew we could do more..."). But nope, zilch, nada. So popcorn watch.

maw

 

[weide1]

I find it odd that AMG spoke so proudly of the M120 based 7.0L and 7.3L cars but never mentioned a 7.2L car.

Oh but they did.
It's all in this topic.

 

[gsxr]

@weide1 - what do you make of the claim that all the SL72's show RUSSIA as the order/delivery country, even if they were delivered to other countries (in the case of the silver car for sale, Japan)?

 

[maw1124]

Oh but they did.
It's all in this topic.

Apparently... I'll stick with a 73 though... and from Affalterbach not Japan… I can't make this 72 stick in my mind as being real deal.

maw

 

[weide1]

@gsxr

These SL72 show differently:

WDB1290761F117824 - order location Coblenz Branch
WDB1290761F074347 - order location Munich Branch
WDB1290761F126839 - order location Tourists (without USA)
WDB1290761F115979 - order location Japan
WDB1290762F076100 - order location Great Britain

 

[gsxr]

@gsxr

These SL72 show differently:

WDB1290761F117824 - order location Coblenz Branch
WDB1290761F074347 - order location Munich Branch
WDB1290761F126839 - order location Tourists (without USA)
WDB1290761F115979 - order location Japan
WDB1290762F076100 - order location Great Britain

Thanks! That's very interesting. And, it debunks the seller's statement that all SL72's have Russia as the delivery country.

Are there only 35 known VIN's for the SL72, as the seller claims?

 

[gsxr]

Russia claim:

" All of the examples we have acquired or inspected always had the same default destination or market code for Russia. I have asked both my AMG and MB contacts why this happens and they said it [Russia] is a default code and not actually where the car was delivered to. I have never gotten a better answer than that.​

​

In the case of this SL72 and the SL72 and SL73 we previously purchase, they also had the Russian destination code, however in all cases all three went from Mercedes to AMG for completion and then were sold new in Japan."​

Also this:

"To clarify all of this once again, there were 35 SL72 and 85 SL73s built, in three batches. All were delivered new by MB to AMG Germany and then sold new to various clients worldwide. After 35 SL72s were built, there was a running change in the production of the engine with a revised piston design that saw a slight increase in nominal engine size which is why the models thereafter were identified and badged as SL73s. Engine output and performance remained exactly the same in both the SL72 and SL73."​

This SL72 engine was rated 386kw / 518hp / 525ps.

 

[R129 UK]

How can one tell from the VIN that the SL600 went to AMG and became an SL7X?

 

[gsxr]

How can one tell from the VIN that the SL600 went to AMG and became an SL7X?

AFAIK... one can't tell from the VIN, because the 957 code was not used on any M120 AMG builds.

 

[weide1]

How can one tell from the VIN that the SL600 went to AMG and became an SL7X?

By gathering extra information.

Are there only 35 known VIN's for the SL72, as the seller claims?

I don't know. Numbers made is difficult territory for me.

 

[195910]

Russia claim:

" All of the examples we have acquired or inspected always had the same default destination or market code for Russia. I have asked both my AMG and MB contacts why this happens and they said it [Russia] is a default code and not actually where the car was delivered to. I have never gotten a better answer than that.​

​

In the case of this SL72 and the SL72 and SL73 we previously purchase, they also had the Russian destination code, however in all cases all three went from Mercedes to AMG for completion and then were sold new in Japan."​

Also this:

"To clarify all of this once again, there were 35 SL72 and 85 SL73s built, in three batches. All were delivered new by MB to AMG Germany and then sold new to various clients worldwide. After 35 SL72s were built, there was a running change in the production of the engine with a revised piston design that saw a slight increase in nominal engine size which is why the models thereafter were identified and badged as SL73s. Engine output and performance remained exactly the same in both the SL72 and SL73."​

This SL72 engine was rated 386kw / 518hp / 525ps.

View attachment 224828

R129 & W140 7.X cars seem to be the most difficult to document. We rarely see a documented US or European car to compare the documentation with these "AMG Japan" Cars. Nearly all the 7.X cars that were on the market were AMG Japan.

@weide1 Have you contacted Mechatronik about the 2 SL73s they have? both are Swiss cars as far as I know, should be a good example to check the documentation.

If no proper documentation is presented, always assume its a conversion car not a factory 7.X. It should not be considered parts of the "1of35", "1of85" , etc .. And as you can see in the Datacards, where AMG wheels and designo interiors are documented, why would 50-70K Euro option NOT be documented?!

 

[maw1124]

R129 & W140 7.X cars seem to be the most difficult to document...
And as you can see in the Datacards, where AMG wheels and designo interiors are documented, why would 50-70K Euro option NOT be documented?!

^^^ This!!!

maw

 

[R129 UK]

AFAIK... one can't tell from the VIN, because the 957 code was not used on any M120 AMG builds.

By gathering extra information.

Thanks both for the confirmation which is what I suspected.

I'm surprised there aren't more misrepresented cars out there being offered for sale.

 

[weide1]

@weide1 Have you contacted Mechatronik about the 2 SL73s they have? both are Swiss cars as far as I know, should be a good example to check the documentation.

I did, but they never answered.

That is what i experience when asking for more information/images. Some are willing to share almost everything.
And some are cautious.

It is what it is.
After all, it's only my hobby.

 

[maw1124]

Thanks both for the confirmation which is what I suspected.

I'm surprised there aren't more misrepresented cars out there being offered for sale.

Oh I'm guessing there are plenty.

;-D

maw

 

[maw1124]

In #81 and #82 are the PDFs for the 70 and 73 in ME1.0 version. The AMG 45 book has wrong specs.

But it has a LOT of different models, and at least attempts to describe them all.

Still no 7.2L M120 versions to be found.

Jussayin…

maw

 

[gsxr]

Still no 7.2L M120 versions to be found.

@maw1124 - you have a good point. The BaT car is listed as 7.2L displacement, but as noted earlier in the nearly 300 posts in this thread, that displacement doesn't appear to exist. It seems the SL72 cars have a 7.0L engine that has been tuned/tweaked to a "stage 2" at higher power output vs earlier 7.0L engines. AMG decided, very confusingly, to badge this as "SL72" despite no increase in displacement. There was only an increase in rated power between SL70 and SL72. @weide1 please correct me if I'm wrong here!

The SL73 is different, that is both larger displacement AND higher rated power.

Assuming the above is accurate... the BaT listing is also incorrect:

"This 1995 Mercedes-Benz SL72 is one of 35 built by AMG with a 525-horsepower, 7.2-liter M120 V12 as well as model-specific interior and exterior appointments. The car was sold new through ART Sports in Tokyo, Japan, and remained registered with the original owner until the selling dealer’s acquisition in 2025."​

Worse yet, the AMG document may also be wrong. Nobody is going to listen to arguments claiming otherwise, of course... maybe some brave soul will post on the BaHaT peanut gallery that AMG is wrong but expect to get flamed, flagged, and deleted. Oh, and AMG also screwed up with the 525hp claim. It's 525ps. Metric horsepower (ps) is NOT the same as SAE brake horsepower (hp, or bhp). 525ps = 518hp. If they can't get their units of measurement accurate (nor their "45" book specs!), how far can we trust what else they say?

 

[maw1124]

Yeah, they got some stuff wrong but they didn't miss a chance to brag.

And they were remarkably consistent that the 7.0L produced 496HP and the 7.3L produced 525HP (4 or 5 different times, same power figures).

Again I think this 7.2L is Japanese internet lore, so IDK what AMG claimed for it, or if they ever claimed anything at all.

I'm thinking they did not.

People can place whatever bets they want to place. But my bet is AMG never did a 7.2L M120, and I'm gonna stick with that.

maw

 

[weide1]

Haha. Yes, it's indeed confusing.
AMG never made a 7.2 in terms of actual displacement. MKB, RENNtech and Väth did. And maybe some more. Have to look up.

The AMG 7.2 is more of a gimmick. A name to differentiate it from the 7.0.
Maybe it would have been better, if they had done it like Brabus with their S versions: 6.9 / 6.9 S and 7.3 and 7.3 S.

Although Brabus used B12 and B13 too as name for S stages of 6.0 and 6.9.
But since this apparently was too confusing, Brabus dropped it. And switched to S versions.

This AMG 7.2 makes a great comparison with the at that time brand new 3.6 M104 too.
After all, 2 x 3.6 = 7.2.

Since the 7.0 is in fact a 7.1, it should have been SL71. And SL71 S.
It's all about selling your product. SL72 sounds better than SL70. Higher in hierarchy, in ranking order.
You can bet on it owners find this important.

In #82 and #96 are the PDFs of the 7.2 by the way. In both LH-Jetronic and HMS ME.

Edit: I just remembered having this PDF too.

And since they are in German, i suppose it's all original AMG Affalterbach Germany.
But then again, what is a genuine AMG?

If AMG Japan and AMG NA are to be considered not original AMG, then Jono's blue Hammer Wagon wouldn't be too.

 

[gsxr]

Thanks for confirming! Nice to see an accurate AMG document with the correct displacement and power rating (525PS).

Engrish translation below. Note the translator changed (PS) to (hp), lol.

 

[weide1]

It's apparently a delicate issue, the SL72 having no 7.2 liter engine.
Since the comment, in which this is explained, has been removed !!

 

[Markus-MD]

Maybe one Solution.Not sure but in Germany i rember me was so .That you have the exact displacement maybe 7,1 and you haved an Tax Displacment to this time .and i think this is the reason vor the discuss over the Year.the Tax Displacment was rounded up to 7,2 .

 

[gsxr]

It's apparently a delicate issue, the SL72 having no 7.2 liter engine.
Since the comment, in which this is explained, has been removed !!

BaHaT censorship strikes again!

I dug the comment out of my email notifications. Pasted below for posterity.

Comment:​

to throw fuel on the fire: this engine is not 7.2l displacement. the 'sl72' designation indicated a higher-power version of the 7.0 liter engine due to different cams, porting, and whatnot. there's a very long, very detailed thread on a mercedes forum which gets into specifics, but anyway - both the sl72 and s72 models are 7,055cc which is not 7.2 liters no matter how you math. yes, i know the amg documents in the photo gallery say 7.2 liters but those are errors. there are many other amg documents which prove otherwise.​

​

the later engines in sl73 and s73 were 7,291cc which is 7.3 liters.​

​

for the 129 and 140 chassis, amg only built 7,055cc and 7,291cc displacements of the m120 engine. all other large displacements of the m120 were made by other tuners (brabus 6.9, renntech 7.4 and 7.6, etc). amg did build a 6.9 for the clk gtr but that is a bespoke engine utilizing a different block vs production m120.​

​

now back to your regularly scheduled discussion of prince jeffs car collection. ​

 

[gsxr]

Apparently people would rather believe the 7.2L is real, despite no evidence it exists. There are 2 bores (91.0, 91.5) and 2 strokes (90.4, 92.4) produced by AMG. The 4 combinations would provide the following displacements:

91.0 x 90.4 = 7055cc
91.5 x 90.4 = 7133cc
91.0 x 92.4 = 7211cc
91.5 x 92.4 = 7291cc

In theory the smaller bore with longer stroke would create a 7.2L engine, but to date, there has not been any documentation of AMG using that combination. Right?

 

[weide1]

I've seen 7133cc and 7211/7212cc mentioned on a German forum. But Sebastian could never back this up.

Like with a fax report like this.
Where Pano specifically mentions the 92,5 mm stroke.

I still find this weird. MKB bothered to develop a crank with 0,1 mm bigger throw than the (more or less) in house AMG crank.

By the way. This is my old e-mail. Useless, since inactive for at least a decade.

@Markus-MD afaik Tax Displacement is smaller than the actual displacement.

 

[FD.]

Nice catch. Something isn't matching up here. Delivered to Russia yet sold new in Japan?

For some reason, this occasionally happened around 1994–1995 with flagship Mercedes models that ended up in Japan.
It might have been some kind of alternative ordering channel for Japan — outside the official general distributor, or beyond the allocated quota for top-end models.
A similar E500 Limited was mentioned on this forum not long ago.

...and now the new generation of corporate managers prefers to use the term “a default code” for this 100 percent clear and transparent import scheme.

 

[weide1]

Interesting story.

Will this mean the 7291 cm³ came in 120.980/981 LH-Jetronic version too?
With 4-speed auto transmission.

But what about a few car registration documents, like this eaxmple, that still show M120-7.2 and 7055 cm³.