Around this time of the year, back in 1955, a Mercedes-Benz 300SL with race number 417 completed the iconic Mille Miglia endurance race in 11 hours, 27 minutes and 21 seconds. It covered 1,597km of roads that traversed Brescia to Rome and back. Even by today’s standards, we can tell you that’s a very good time.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Mercedes’s memorable success in this Italian-dominated race, the German carmaker is releasing a unique variant of the modern descendant of the 300SL, the SL-Class. It’s called the Special Edition Mille Miglia 417, and it comes in SL400 and SL500 flavors. The former has a six-cylinder engine with 333hp, and the latter has a 455hp V8.
Distinct to the Special Editions are red highlights on the front spoiler lip, the rear spoiler, the brake calipers, and the black AMG performance wheels. There are also badges with the number "417" placed on the Benz. Standard paint on this Special Edition SL is a magnetite black metallic finish.
Inside, AMG Line seats cosset the lucky passengers, with contrasting inlays and red edging providing visual eye candy. The leather headrests have an embossed carbon structure and are embroidered with an "SL Mille Miglia" label. The racy steering wheel is wrapped in black and red nappa leather. Even the floor mats have "1000 Miglia" embroidered on them.
If you’re ordering a new Mercedes-Benz SL400 and you want to give it the Special Edition Mille Miglia 417 treatment, you have to add 14,800 euros (P747,500) to the list price. For the higher SL500 variant, the additional cost is 12,800 euros (P646,500). Of course, expect that price to increase significantly when coursed through our local distributor.
If we had a car like this, we’d definitely enter it in an endurance race like the Cannonball 1000. The SL’s heritage deserves nothing less.
