A Mercedes-Benz SLK200 Kompressor, seen in Beijing in 2012. The sporty Merc’ was made sportier with a nice body kit including a front spoiler and side skirts. It had darkened windows and stood on five-spoke gray alloy wheels.
The SLK had special license plates: 京H·G0001. Any plates with more than two zero’s are considered a rarity. This car has a triple zero plate, with a one at the end! This indicates it was the very first of the 京H·G series. The license plate is fitted in a shiny license plate frame. These frames were very popular in the 2000’s, until they were forbidden by the local government.
The second generation Mercedes-Benz SLK (R171) was a roadster with a retractable hard top roof made from 2004 until 2011 with a facelift in 2008. Our car is a pre-facelift example. Eight years long production run for a car like this, but it remained very popular until the very end.
The SLK200 Kompressor was powered by a supercharged 2.0 petrol engine, good for 161 hp and 240 Nm. The motor was mated to a 6-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic. Top speed was 229 km/h and 0-100 was done in 7.9 seconds.
The R171 was officially sold in China, starting in 2004. The SLK200 Kompressor costs 676.000 yuan at the time, which was a lot of money, so these speedy Benz’ez are a rare sight on the road.