Mercedes marks 130 years at Motorclassica

Mercedes-Benz staged the Australian debut of its sumptuous V12-powered Mercedes-AMG S 65 Cabriolet at the opening of the 2016 Motorclassica car show in Melbourne this evening.

The $500,000-plus convertible was the centrepiece of an array of Mercedes-Benz vehicles used to mark Australian celebrations for the 130th birthday of the world's oldest car-maker.

Indeed, if you think more than half a million dollars is a lot of money for a car, just get a load of the other stuff appearing at this year's Motorclassica, which runs over this weekend (October 21-23) at the world heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens.

The German prestige car-maker's theme at this year's event is open-air driving, and while AMG's velvet sledgehammer will attract plenty of attention, there is a handful of almost priceless vehicles on show.

Mercedes-Benz, the 'Celebration Marque' of the event, will show 20 vehicles in total -- 12 of them convertibles, including a stunning 540K Cabriolet from the late 1930s.

Other must-see Mercedes-Benz on show at Motorclassica include the 1886 three-wheeler, the first car from the brand, and a gorgeous 300 SL Roadster.

The more modern 'gullwing' will also be present – a Mercedes-AMG SLS AMG Black from 2013. The monstrous supercar cost around $650,000 in Australia when new, and just nine vehicles were sold in this country.

The S 65 Cabriolet headlining Benz' new-car collection is powered by a hand-built twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 that generates a whopping 463kW and 1000Nm.

That's enough to propel the lavish convertible to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds (the same figure as the S 65 Coupe) and an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h, although owners can bump that to 300km/h with the AMG Driver's Package.

The top-shelf S-Class Cabriolet changes gears via a seven-speed AMG Speedshift transmission, which now comes with a special feature adding crackles and snarls on upshifts.

The S 65 AMG Coupe costs a cool $500,000, but the convertible is expected to fetch a lot more than half a million dollars. Such is the vehicle's pedigree and price, the unique vehicle is likely to find only around half-a-dozen buyers per annum Down Under.

As well as static displays, visitors to Motorclassica can also sign up for test drives of various vehicles, including Mercedes-AMG cars as part of the Drive Experience.

Vehicles from Jaguar, Porsche and MINI vehicles will also be available for test drives.

Many visitors will be looking to buy too, with the 35 vehicles up for auction at Motorclassica expected to generate a record-setting $3.5 million in takings.

Other major car manufacturers showing modern cars include Jaguar, BMW and MINI, but (naturally) it's the classics that always take pride of place at Motorclassica, with a huge range of jaw-dropping vintage and collectible cars and motorcycles on display.

Mercedes-Benz Cars Australia/Pacific CEO Horst von Sanden said the Melbourne event was one of the most important on the automotive calendar in Australia, bringing car collectors and enthusiasts together in one place.

"Motorclassica is a very special event where we all have the pleasure of seeing so many rare and unique vehicles, both classic and new," he said.

"This year Mercedes-Benz Australia will celebrate not only 130 years of the automobile but also open-top touring."