1999 Mercedes-Benz S 55 AMG (W220) 5.4 V8

Vehicle Overview

In January 1999, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company, DaimlerChrysler AG (as it was known between 1998 and 2007), finally acquired a controlling stake in AMG.

After this event, the former independent racing and tuning company was renamed Mercedes-AMG GmbH. It became the official in-house tuner for Mercedes-Benz cars, and the engineers in Affalterbach quickly touched almost the entire lineup with their magic wands.

Cooperation between the two brands started much earlier. In 1993, the first commonly developed car was the Mercedes-Benz C 36 AMG, which was the first AMG officially sold through Mercedes’ extensive dealer network.

In 1999, the S-Class W220 was part of a new generation of three-pointed star models trying to reinvent themselves and lower Mercedes-Benz customers’ median age. One way of doing this was by introducing a new design language, but the more important part was how the cars felt from a driving perspective.

While the W220 was much lighter on its feet than its predecessor, AMG’s touch made it truly worthy to be driven instead of being driven in. Just six years after the C 36 AMG made history, the newly founded in-house tuner unveiled the S 55 AMG, the first German luxury sedan that wasn’t out of its element on a twisty road.

A hand-built, naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8 up front, a much bigger braking system, and AMG-tuned air suspension were among the major modifications made to transform a standard S-Class into a worthy successor to the 1970s 450 SEL 6.9. AMG engineers also modified the 5-speed 5G-Tronic automatic transmission to allow quicker gearshifts at higher revs.

The exterior modifications were minimal and subtle compared to a regular S 500. They included a modified A-shaped front bumper for better cooling, slim side skirts, a more muscular rear bumper, dual oversized exhaust tips, and AMG alloy wheels exclusive to the model.

Inside, the S 55 AMG was just like any other fully loaded S-Class W220, but the front seats were more heavily bolstered for dynamic driving, and AMG badges adorned many parts of the interior. Both short and long-wheelbase versions were available as a ’55’ spec, with the short one not being available in the United States.

The 5.4-liter engine was based on the 5.0-liter in the S 500 but had a larger displacement, better cooling, and a new intake and exhaust system to make it breathe more easily and unlock more of its potential. Suspension-wise, the innovative Active Body Control system was also modified to be more reactive during hard cornering, and because of it, the S 55 was able to outhandle many, much slimmer sports cars.

Despite delivering 360 PS (355 HP), the 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) acceleration time was not better than that of an S 600, which was powered by a 5.8-liter V12 at the time, but the S 55 AMG was still quicker and drove better than any BMW 7 Series.