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There’s still a lot of love for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class W211. For those not familiar with Merc’s platform designation, this is the third-generation E-Class that spans most of the 2000s. On the E 55 AMG trim, both the sedan and the estate pack a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 engine that produces 469 horsepower (350 kilowatts). That’s still a hefty number today, so you can imagine what these Mercs monsters looked like 15 years ago.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine. AutoTopNL have a 2004 E 55 wagon primed and ready to run fast on an unrestricted section of the German Autobahn, and are happy to stock up on two features. Being an early model, it sported an upgraded E 63 fascia. But for the purposes of this video, you will be more interested in the factory speed limiter which has been removed. Mercedes-Benz initially set that speed at 155 mph, but without any restrictions, how fast can this 18-year-old AMG wagon go?
Before making any bet, here is some mechanical information to consider. A five-speed automatic is paired to a V8, and that last gear is long. It takes a healthy highway cut to fully stretch its legs, but with enough room there’s still enough power for impressive speeds. In fact, it’s more than adequate – despite its age and about 62,000 miles on the odometer, the wagon recorded about 500 hp (373 kilowatts) on the dyno’s recent pull. With a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires all around, all it takes is a clean highway.
And that’s what we got for a series of sprints. The first blast easily saw the massive Merc overstep its original electronic limits, though acceleration noticeably slowed down once the car shifted into fifth gear at around 130 mph. It continued to climb, however, eventually reaching 168 mph before releasing for another attempt. This time the speedometer was as close as possible to 300 km/h (186 mph) without going over it. Traffic forced a lift of the throttle, but a last-ditch attempt sent the E 55 wagon over. 303 km/h (188 mph) shows up on the speedometer, with 297 km/h (185 mph) briefly recorded on GPS.
It takes almost a minute for the E 55 to reach that figure, demonstrating it’s well and truly aero-limited maximum speed car. Considering the Audi RS6 Avant just hit 190, that’s not a bad show at all for the old Mercedes.
Want more classic content? Look Chatting About Cars podcast, available below.
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