With a little over 110k miles this CL still feels almost showroom fresh. A recent trip a Mercedes Benz specialists who were given carte blanche to go through the car & renew everything necessary resulted in a £13,000 mechanical & electrical overall. Consequently the car drives like new and presents in the same way too, heated, fanned & electric seats, cruise control, sunshine roof, automatic lights, artic air conditioning, creamy soft hides, cosy alcantara headlining, deep wood veneers & the silent monster up front. The engine is a masterpiece disguising itself as a 'pussycat' in slow moving traffic or cruising gently on beautiful B roads barely making a noise, just ticking over calm and serene as the cabin would suggest. She has a dual personality however, all one need do is plant the right foot to deploy a gargantuan 470Nm of torque ensuring no matter what gear you're in and what speed you were doing you'll very soon be braking the law to the soundtrack of an orchestral German roar. This surely must be one of the best examples of these with the condition she's in and the vast expense that has just be deposited into her. One extra touch is the leather trimmed magnetic phone holder which having used for a trip up the Scotland I can confirm is a brilliant & suitable modern addition.
I can't quite believe that such a sweet little car, let alone reliable & stylish, can be so cheap. After having bought her she was sent straight to a Mercedes-Benz specialist to conduct a full diagnostic check and amend as required. As it happened there were zero fault codes to report and so she's gone straight into use. ULEZ free, surprisingly sprightly and with a folding hard top she comes with two sets of keys and the complete book pack minus the service history which regrettably was lost by the previous owner. There is however a full record of MoT's to validate the mileage upon which scarcely does an advisory ever appear which, to me at least, speaks to a well cared for motorcar. This suspicion is further confirmed when behind the wheel for she feels as solid as a rock in both coupe & convertible modes. The tyres are all fairly new Michelins, date stamped to 2021, assuming they went on in 2021 they have only covered 2000 miles. With 76,000 miles on the odometer she's a pippin and got to be worth it for some spring & summer time fun.
In my humble opinion perhaps one of the best blends between classic & modern sports car out there. The button to turn off the traction control really does turn it off, very nice hydraulic power steering in ultimately a very light car makes for a genuinely sporty driving experience. Although as only the 2.2 not the full fat 2.8 she does lack a bit for ultimate poke, however thats never really gotten in the way of enjoyment. The Edition, as this is, was sold with the lovely black spider alloys an inch or so bigger than what customers buying a standard car got, moreover the iconic BMW Estoril blue paint was also reserved only for cars above standard spec. The interiors came fully fitted with all the extras available; heated seats, A/C, electric mirrors and some other now outdated options. The brushed aluminium centre console does look super duper as against a standard car. She is prodigiously reliable whilst being pleasingly analogue. Something of a connoisseurs choice.