You don’t really have to think. AutoTopNL has a 2004 E 55 prepped and ready to go speeding on unlimited stretches of German Autobahn and happily keeps both parts in stock. As an early model, it wore the upgraded E 63 dash. But for the purposes of this video, you’re more interested in deleting the factory speed limiter. Mercedes-Benz originally set this speed at 155 mph, but no one is off limits, just how fast is this 18-year-old AMG car?
Before you bet, here are a few other mechanical tips to consider. Mated to the V8 is a five-speed automatic transmission, and the final cog is tall. It needs a healthy stretch of freeway to fully stretch its legs, but with plenty of space there’s still plenty of power for impressive speed. In fact, it’s more than enough—despite its age and about 62,000 miles on the odometer, the car had about 500 horsepower (373 kilowatts) in a recent dynamic pull. With a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires all around, a clean highway is all you need.
And that’s all we get from a series of speed runs. The first dose quickly shows the big Merc pushing past the original electronic limit, although acceleration is noticeably slower when the car shifts into fifth gear at around 130mph. It continued to climb, eventually reaching 168 mph before being released for another attempt. This time the speedometer approaches 300 km/h (186 mph) without going over. Traffic forced the throttle up, but a last ditch effort sent the E 55 cart over the top. 303 km/h (188 mph) shown on speedometer, 297 km/h (185 mph) recorded briefly on GPS. The E 55 takes nearly a minute to reach this figure, suggesting that it is indeed the car’s aero-limited top speed. Considering the new Audi RS6 Avant tops out at 190, that’s not a bad showing for the old Mercedes.
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