The Eighties – When Your 500SEL Wasn’t Excess Enough Pt. 1

"505Turbeaux" (505turbeaux)
11/14/2014 at 09:34 • Filed to: None

As a child of the eighties, and growing up in one of the wealthiest areas of the country, I remember it too well. You had to really live it to realize what a rat race it really was to be trying to get to the top. The economy was coming back, music was arguably very innovative compared to what had come before, technology and communications were improving at a rapid pace. It was an age of excess where it became readily evident that opulence was something to really strive for. And what was perceived to be opulent in the world of cars was to take something expensive, and make it both ridiculous and ridiculously expensive. The concept was nothing new, and hasn't changed much since, but I don't seem to recall a time before this where the fashion sense of the day, technology and the auto world collided to produce such hideous yet interesting cars. Let us take a look at the W126 chassis and variants since they seem to be some of the most widely used chassis for coachbuilt conversions in those dark times. I am going straight past AMG since those are too "common" to make this list. So let's take a look at what it took to make one of the finest lines of cars ever produced into your personal coke den, where you could lure whomever is at the club with the highest Aqua Net to actual hair ratio. Enter the 1000, 5000, even the 10000SEL and SEC variants.

First off when you are looking at making something extravagant, there are no rules. Long wheelbase, sedan, coupe, convertible. Everything was fair game. This was not a performance game, this was a show of how much you could be a pimp. And much like the pimp mobiles of the 70's, and as McDonald's claims today, you can have it your way. According to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! where alot of my research was focused:

The cars started out as factory-fresh S-classes and were modified (mostly in Germany and the UK) by tuning and coachbuilding companies like Chameleon, Kugok, Robert Jankel Design, Styling-Garage/SGS, Trasco and Vantagefield. Variations on the 1000SEL-theme were even given names like 1001SEL (Gemballa), 1000SGS (Styling-Garage), 5000GFG (GFG), 5000SEL (Gemballa) and 10000SEL (ABC Exclusive). Modified Mercedes-Benz SEC coupes were also given similar names but in stead of 1000SEL it was a 1000SEC.

So let's take a look at what your unlimited checking account could buy you in this vein

10000SEL by ABC Exclusive - as seen in Miami Vice. Note the hair behind the car

Long wheelbase stretch. Not entirely sure what that spoiler is about besides for to blow lines off of. Shades on all the back windows so you can do yo thang back there. Below what could be the very same car at a dealership. I wonder what kind of commission that salesperson made there.

Oh wait, let me provide you with some music while you browse. Have some Huey Lewis

1000SEL by Grand Prix Metalworks

Not entirely sure what an automatic jacking system was for when you could hire 10 little people to lift it up for you. Interior is actually appointed pretty nicely. One touch that was important with many of these was the full length center console with a cooler and entertainment system. Another instance of what is quoted as "A 600 Style Grille Shell" like the cover image.

5000GFG by GFG

struggling to find a good image of the actual gullwing coupe, but here are a few of the cabriolet offering. The convertible isn't actually that wild, besides for the fact it was a 126 coupe with the top cut off...

The Benny-S El Riyadh

Pretty tame until you get to the dashboard of the thing. I see a number of stock M-B switchgear rearranged but maybe someone can tell me if that is all audio equipment or a nuclear launch control or something

Caruna Convertible

Not really sure about how I feel on this one. But it is a big boat of a 4 door 'vert, so what the hell

L'Etoile w126 Stretch

All that red leather. The stitch lines look very similar to the w211 E Class leather interiors odd enough. The front didn't get the full custom treatment on these besides the door cards

Sbarro Gullwing coupes

I assume there has been a post or 2 already about these, so I won't go too deep there

Chameleon Typhoon, Cyclone and Tornado

They must have just kept that designer high as hell all the time. That is all I can really say here

To be continued...

DISCUSSION (27)

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 09:37

Kinja'd!!!

you give those names back to GM Trucks where they belong!

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 09:38

I tried to look at the whole article, but my mind segued into this instead:

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 09:39

Holy hell, we knew it was coming and here it is.

THE 80'S HAVE ATTACKED

The only thing that can be done:

Kinja'd!!!

505Turbeaux > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
11/14/2014 at 09:40

Kinja'd!!!

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 09:40

This is fantastic. The Chameleon made me laugh out loud.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 09:41

good retort

I have a feeling you stole this guys chain...

...

...and are wearing it a bit lower than he is...

Coty > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 09:42

Kinja'd!!!

My favorite.

As Du Volant > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 09:50

Kinja'd!!!

I dig the little tray tables. Perfect for eating your lunch on while being driven around, just don't forget the Grey Poupon.

Milky > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 09:58

The only thing that comes to mind.

Kinja'd!!!

505Turbeaux > Milky
11/14/2014 at 09:59

exactly

ly2v8-Brian > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 10:13

Footage from inside the design rooms

Courtesy of the 80's awesomeness Heavy Metal

TotallyThatStupid > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 10:13

It's way too early for this much tension in my pants.

505Turbeaux > TotallyThatStupid
11/14/2014 at 10:15

hahaha

BJ > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 10:21

Kinja'd!!!

Definitely looks like some HiFi equipment. My guess, from top to bottom: 5-channel equalizer with volume control, digital AM/FM tuner, tape deck with auto-reverse, 8-channel graphic equalizer output (flashy lights, oooooh!), and then a CD changer.

505Turbeaux > BJ
11/14/2014 at 10:22

yeah it looks like you could be right. That is some serious stuff though, at least in looks!

Alfalfa > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 10:27

Red leather and cocaine: Always a winning combination.

JR1 > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 10:29

Kinja'd!!!

I have a crisis every time I see a four dour convertible. Top tier luxury right there!

OPPOsaurus WRX > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 10:31

Kinja'd!!!

GRANDPA?

TotallyThatStupid > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 10:59

You and I must have grown up in roughly the same place at roughly the same time - born in the early-70s, lived mostly in Fairfield County, Connecticut. I remember some of these cars driving around, from goofy magazines, and, of course, Miami Vice. When 1000SEL.com dropped like, what, 10+ years ago, I was stunned at all the variations of bad taste.

Indeed, our local Audi dealer - where my dad bought our 1985 5000S - was a Treser dealer. We didn't see the 5000S limo or the Coupe GT convertible conversion, but we certainly had the standard sedan body kit cars. I think there was a 4000S with Treser stuff, too.

BJ > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 10:59

It absolutely looks the nuts, which was probably the point.

This is the Clarion G80 system ( http://translogic.aolautos.com/2011/02/15/it-… ) which most likely had a number of variants. It appears to have been offered by AMG at the time as part of their conversion package: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthr… and http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w126-s-… . This means it was likely an easy fit for any MB coach build or customization.

The fourth panel is actually a pair of 80W amplifiers: http://www.ebay.nl/itm/Vintage-Ca… . There was even a joystick-style fader - very '80s.

I can't find any confirmation of it being an option, but I'm sure that's a CD changer on the bottom. That would place this car in the 1985-1988 range, by which time the Clarion stereo appeared to have become obsolete.

Considering how old these cars are, you had to be seriously rich to have a CD changer in your car. Commercial releases of CD albums started in late 1982 in Japan (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_d… ) and in Europe in '83, so I'm guessing this particular model wasn't made until at least 1984, and even then, the CD changer would have been perhaps a $2000-3000 option. The first in-dash CD players, from Sony no less, were offered in 1984 for $600-700. According to Car & Driver, the first factory-installed in-dash CD player was offered by MB in 1985 ( http://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-h… ).

I should get back to work... :)

505Turbeaux > TotallyThatStupid
11/14/2014 at 11:05

yep, shoreline CT, late 70's. You nailed it.

AUDACIA > 505Turbeaux
11/14/2014 at 12:05

Reminds me of the Koenig Specials 1000SEL

Kinja'd!!!

This was for sale on bring a trailer some weeks ago.

I am fascinated by the excess of the 80s.

But I'd rather come across more of that stuff on a daily basis than those boring or cheapy modifieds you see on the streets. I totally like the brabus widebodys, and I can look at a Koenig Specials without vomiting imediately, I appreciate the craftmanship and dedication that is needed to design a functional widebody, as long as it is that: functional.

davedave1111 > BJ
11/14/2014 at 13:30

You'd have had to be well-off to have a cd player in your car at all, but cd changers came along right at the start because they're not much different from record changers in concept or mechanism.