Faraaz23

My roomie just told me this was on the front of the NY Times today and thought you guys/gals may want to see this....

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OSLYN, N.Y., Feb. 24 - The Gold Coast of Long Island needs more opulence the way the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez needs a raise, but early this year, another million-dollar bauble rolled into East Egg.

It is the first Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren ever made, a silver coupe that sold for $2.1 million, making it one of the most expensive new cars anyone has ever bought. The anyone, in this case, is Juliana Terian, who runs a luxury car dealership in Roslyn.

A shrewd businesswoman who also visits psychics, Ms. Terian said the price was fair for such a trophy. "It was a steal," she said.

Steal or not, it made sense in the showroom of Ms. Terian's dealership, Rallye Motors, a North Shore business where the parking lot is filled with B.M.W.'s and personal license plates declare, "N1CE EH."

Ms. Terian is still deciding whether to hold it for a while or sell it right away, but for now it is just one more reminder that while booms and busts may come and go, there are places where there is always an appetite for just the right status symbol.

In the whirl of Long Island's car culture, this two-door sports car is "totally the apex," Ms. Terian said.

So on this sleety, gray Tuesday afternoon, customers rhapsodized about the way the car's doors open vertically, like wings. They discussed its specs: a 617-horsepower engine, a carbon frame, a top speed of 200 miles per hour, red seats. They asked, How much?

"This is a piece of sculpture," said Michael Barone, a South Shore Long Islander looking to replace his Oldsmobile with a Mercedes. "Just smell it. I would have to sell my house and all my stocks to buy this."

Ms. Terian simply raised a paddle. She was at a charity auction last year when the car went up for bidding. Silently, she watched as bidders drove the price up to around $2 million, and then as it was going, going, Ms. Terian said, she snagged it.

She told this story in her office, as well-lacquered salesmen shook customers' hands and patted backs in the showroom outside her door. Ms. Terian once ran her own architecture firm, but took over Rallye Motors after her husband, Peter, died of prostate cancer in October 2002.

Tuesday was a busy day. She spent the morning having a cracked tooth replaced; it had broken as she bit into an apple. She needed a new tooth in time for her flight to Los Angeles to attend Vanity Fair's party after the Academy Awards.

The dealership sells 300 Mercedes-Benzes each month, and it pursues rare, expensive and limited-edition cars that other dealerships do not get from the factory. While other cars of the limited-edition SLR McLaren model will be offered for sale for a modest $425,000, Ms. Terian said this Mercedes was worth the $2 million because of its singularity.

Customers were more interested in the body. "It's like the Batmobile," declared one.

Melanie Reeves of Uniondale peered inside the car, examined the gray suede headliner and relayed what she saw to her husband via cellphone. "It's like a house on wheels - a mansion on wheels," she said. "I'd be afraid to drive it."

Another customer, Eddie Sazinski, said the car was nice, but no bargain.

"Two million dollars?" he asked. "That's ridiculous. I don't have that much money yet.''

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Wow, awesome car, but for $2.1 mil, i'd prolly get myself a CLK-GTR, F50, an SL600, and one of each Lexus!

Seize

Yeah she bought the car as a dedication ot her late husband...quite touching

Anyhow if you'd like to see pics...here they are, (they posted the same story on the e46fanatics board)

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=143643

Regards,

-Seize

aliga

iTrader: (147)

she is a PIMP

rominl

iTrader: (4)

boy, and you think the enzo was expensive

retrodrive

I think it looks fugly...especially the front end.

Seize

Yeah, I agree...I'm not feelin' it myself

Static911

Ditto.

D2-AUTOSPORT

Car is crazy, but the hood's too long!

thisguy_06

$2.1 mil on ABSTRACT art. fugly

Technics

That's the first thing I said when I saw the production version. If you look at the 1999 Vision SLR concept it was perfect. They had to stretch it out to fit the 5.4 AMG V-8 in there and they also said it helped out with weight distribution. Yada, yada, they should have keep it like this:

Gojirra99

If I can afford to blow $2.1 million on cars, I can probably use it to get 8-10 more beautiful and desirable cars,Carrera GT, Vanguish, F360, SL65 . . . . .

Davtown

I was reading this article in the newspaper as I was logging booting up my computer...

I wonder who's crazy enough (besides the lady who bought it, she does visit a psychiatrist after all) to pay $2.1 million for an SLR?

vboy418

even if I had 2.1million to blow away I wouldnt on this.. iimao not my kinda taste...

jet864

A high performance car, quesitonable looks, and running a torque converter.....Not for me. Carbon fiber, performance, and status are all great but the cons just outweigh the pros.

EDIT:m Not to mention heavy as hell. 3800 lbs!!! That's in SC range!

James

darden

Sugar Mommy!!!!