Highlights Early 52-plate SL55 AMG from the model's launch era Just 51,226 miles on the clock Supercharged 469bhp 5.4-litre V8 Panoramic glass Vario roof and period flagship tech Stamped service booklet and a folder of invoices Overview When the R230 SL55 AMG arrived in 2002, it was the most powerful road car Mercedes had built up to that point.

Its 5.4-litre supercharged V8 made 476hp (469bhp) and 516lb ft, good for 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds and a limited 155mph.

Lift the limiter and things get properly silly; one German magazine took a derestricted car all the way to 202mph.

It cost £89,040 new, and buyers didn't exactly flinch, with AMG versions accounting for up to one in four SL sales between 2002 and 2008.

Part grand tourer, part sledgehammer, it wraps all that muscle in a folding hardtop body with a Vario roof that stows itself in the boot.

One minute it's a snug coupe for a winter motorway slog, the next it's an open roadster for a summer B-road blast.

This one's an early 52...