Performance bargains are out there to be had at some truly startling prices. Cars that once fetched six figures and were only accessible to the rich and famous can now be had for the same price as a brand new budget city car. Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and supercharged V8 Jags are all popular secondhand bargains but in terms of bhp/$, '90s and early 2000s AMG Mercs are in a league of their own.

The danger with these high capacity V8 and V12 brutes is the potentially wallet-spanking maintenance needed to keep them on the road. Also, there's a high chance that the demonic power output has taken a bit of a hit over the years due to general engine wear that make them much less appealing than when they once left a factory floor.

This 402,000-mile E55 AMG featured on the LegitStreetRacers YouTube channel is in fantastic nick but, considering the heavy mileage contained within its internals, you'd suspect it to have released many horses into the wild. The car from the factory produced 385whp and 423lb ft at the wheels so what are your guesses as to how much the V8 supercharged Merc makes nowadays?

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Amazingly, the E55 manages to peak at 362whp and 449lb ft at the wheels with a bit of weight added at the rear end to enhance traction on the dyno. That's a tiny decrease in power but a small INCREASE in torque creation - an astounding performance from the bargain bucket performance saloon.

It's safe to say the AMG powertrain has obviously been fastidiously looked after by the past owner which will have cost a frightening amount in servicing and maintenance. The Mustang dyno used also is known to produce numbers lower than reality, so its fair to say this Merc is in seriously good health. It is also trying to suck the warm, humid Californian air through its supercharger, making for less than fantastic conditions for creating power. It's a very impressive machine then.

This specimen shows that there is something to be said for investing in a performance beast that has reached the trough of depreciation. It may be the exception to the general rule of buying cars of this ilk but if you can find a similar car that once had a caring owner, you could be in for a cut-price tyre destroyer.