1050HP GULLWING DRAGSTER AT ESSEN SHOW

Following the arrival of the Mercedes AMG SLS everybody's got Gullwing fever it seems, and amongst the varying shades of bonkers displayed at this year's Essen Motor Show is a dragster that looks as if it's driven there straight out of Wacky Races.

Its Swiss builder Stefan Winter spent over 3 years building this fibreglass dragster based on the Mercedes 300SL. Fortunately, no real 300SL's were harmed in the making of this car; the body is made of fibreglass and the engine is a 6.9-litre small block Chevy 350, reportedly putting out an appropriately dragster-like 1,050hp.

Other interesting bits include a 9-inch Ford rear axle, an A-1 Pro 3-Speed transmission and whopping 15-inch rear tires. And that body, though a very neat interpretation of the 300SL in shape, actually uses metallic silver paint from Mazda.

Winter claims a quarter-mile time of 8.1 seconds for his pricey long-term project, crossing the line at 166mph.

	"Darn you, Dick Dastardly!"