We get why Mercedes made the changes it did to the SL-Class, but the older model demanded so much more respect. It's not enough to have a long nose; it has to be flat and wide as well, and both versions of the R230 offered this.
Liberty Walk body kits are common nowadays. Even celebrities like Justin Bieber buy them, probably not knowing that there's supposed to be a connection to the world of drifting.
So for a back-to-the-roots approach to widening a car by using bolt-on fender flares, we visit Japan. The home of the GT-R is where a reclusive company called Three-S Design does its business.
Oh, how we love finding these obscure little shops that do brilliant, creative work.
In any case, these two bad boys have been seen together at a car gathering. They're clearly in good company, but the fact that photographers aren't clambering over them suggests the Japanese car enthusiasts are over this whole widebody look and have moved on to something else.
These old SL models are clearly different. The one in gray is a pre-facelift model, while the pink one is the slightly newer version. Both feature yellow headlight tint, something inspired by the world of motorsports. They also feature spiked wheel nuts with bright colors. Now that's something you don't see every day!
The body kit is as impressive as it is pointless. At the back, you have a gigantic black wing that bolts to the trunk, which in turn also has a spoiler. How much downforce do you need?
Judging from the way the way these copper wheels sit, there's no air suspension. However, there are many elements that run the risk of scraping the ground, including the massive pink and carbon fiber chin air splitter.
So how about it, if you had an R230 SL-Class, would you customize it to this extent?
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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