Rinspeed flatnosed 911
conversion we saw last time we were in Palm Springs was the most excessive display of vulgar 80s excess? You thought wrong!
Too brazen even for California?
Bentley Continental GT V8 S
launch we couldn't resist a small diversion and return visit to the
McCormick's auction house
to see if there was anything else worth a gander. And boy did we strike gold! Just look at this beauty...
So what is it? Well, the card in the window rather stated the bleeding obvious and little more. 'Mercedes 500 SEC. 1983. Gull wing.' Yup, kind of already gathered that. A little further sleuthing about reveals this car has been 'outed' online already, Jalopnik picking up on it for a 'Nice price or crack pipe' story back in December in which the car was identified as the work of Styling Garage. You can read more about the cars here on 1000SEL.com. Indeed, it seems SGS was one of many offering such conversions back in the day - just check the rogue's gallery here.
Check out those bolsters!
I once met god of 80s Mercedes styling Bruno Sacco and he described the 126-series SEC as his favourite of the cars he designed in the period. And the standard SEC is indeed an elegant, refined and handsome beast with a finely judged sense of status and poise. Imposing but not arrogant, luxurious but not decadent it's a car any PHer might like to waft around in, pillarless side windows lowered and lazy V8 throbbing away.
Going by the deference of the Mercedes lackeys to him Sacco is not the kind of chap you'd want to upset so you'd hope he never cast eyes on this violation of his favourite coupe. In period SGS weren't the only ones of course, Koenig also offering wild widebody twin-turbo SECs with that 80s aftermarket styling essential - Testarossa side strakes - in full effect.
Even considered in the context of the times this is pretty full-on though. And now? Whew, what to say. Even in California this'd be a brave choice.
MERCEDES 500SEC GULLWING BY STYLING GARAGE
Price: $19,500 plus buyer premium
Why you should: You'll stand out
Why you shouldn't: For the wrong reasons