Mercedes-Benz ML 60 Renntech Is a Beefed-Up AMG, Relatively Cheap

Sure, SUVs have evolved a lot over the past few decades. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe has just set an impressive Nürburgring lap record, but honestly, if you're looking for a car that can handle a race track, you won't be looking at an SUV. Instead, an SUV will provide you with just the right amount of comfort and space when driving around, be it on normal roads or the occasional muddy tracks.

The first Mercedes-Benz ML, the W163, rolled off the assembly line in Vance, Alabama, in February of 1997. The company had been considering a replacement for their G-Class for many years at the time, and after a failed attempt at a partnership with Mitsubishi for the development of a new SUV, it took matters into its own hands and this was the result.

BMW would need another year to produce a rival for the ML, while Volkswagen would only launch the Touareg several years later. And it was 1999 when the first AMG version of the ML became available to customers, featuring a 5.4-liter V8 that provided the driver with 342 horsepower and 376 lb-ft (510 Nm) of torque. Back in the day that was good enough for a top speed of 144 mph (232 kph).

By comparison, a 1999 Lincoln Navigator was only rated at 300 horsepower. But the interesting fact about this ML 55 AMG is that it's not an ML 55 anymore. And that's because it has received the Renntech treatment, which means that you might as well call it an ML 60. The 5.4-liter V8 is now a 6.0-liter unit and features Mahle pistons and a custom forged crankshaft with titanium rods. That means you can now count on having 420 horsepower and 464 lb-ft (629 Nm) of torque.

The sale includes a Renntech certificate of authenticity, signed by Hartmut Feyhl himself, the president of Renntech. This certificate lists all of the upgrades made to this vehicle, as the increase in displacement and power is not the only interesting part here. The transmission has been upgraded as well, even though I'm not sure how many wide-open throttle launches this can handle, considering its mass.

The AMG V8 sounds a lot better thanks to the exhaust system upgrades, and you can count on the stopping power as well, as both the front and rear brakes have been modified accordingly. The vehicle has also been lowered by 3 inches (7.62 cm), as it now features dual adjustable shocks and rear coil overs. Even though the odometer reads 65,350 miles (101,951 km), this sporty SUV still looks very clean, and the fact that it sits on 19x9-inch Renntech Monolite wheels does help as well.

The car has been listed for $25,000, which sounds like quite the steal considering this could be your ticket into AMG ownership. I did some digging and found out that this was auctioned off just a few months ago, in March, and the winning bid was just $21,250. So even though someone is looking to make a profit off of this, I guess it might still become a classic as years go by, especially if you can resist the urge to supercharge it. Some videos of the car were also included in the original ad, and apart from two minor incidents, there are no red flags here as far as I can tell.