We'd imagine that by this point, you've seen or heard of this incredible widebody build. Back in January, this custom built 560SEC by Bespoke Upholstery & Restoration hit the auction block with Russo & Steele and sold for a hefty $253,000. The MB Market has now been given exclusive intel that it's headed back to auction in the upcoming days, this time with Bring A Trailer. We actually wrote our first article around the surging C126 widebody values back in January and discussed this very car. Not much time has passed since it's original day in the spotlight and it's already back for round 2.
This custom build began life as a pristine 1989 560SEC with 32k original miles on the odometer. The magicians over at Bespoke Upholstery & Restoration then rebuilt the car from the ground up and created their own bespoke carbon fiber widebody kit, mimicking that of the legendary AMG built widebody cars from the 80's with modern touches. The kit includes all carbon fiber body pieces including fenders, front and rear lower fascias, and side rocker panels. The car was then painted in its original Black Pearl 199 and included all chrome trim pieces to create a very menacing appearance, on par with that of the original AMG widebody. As all quality restomods do, this widebody took AMG's idea and current technology to the next level by making the widebody fenders even wider than the original in full carbon fiber for better results all around, then built custom spec wheels to fill out the fenders perfectly while still retaining the original OZ Racing Aero III style. In case it's still not clear, this is a build that takes extreme amounts of time, money, and expertise. But wait, there's more.
The interior has also been tastefully done in factory medium red, accompanied by hand-stitched leather, including period correct Recaro seats. The steering wheel is also a period correct Momo M38, but not without that restomod touch, with gray zebra wood veneer which is themed throughout the dash and door cards. The interior is certainly not conservative but it fits perfectly with the attitude of this widebody restomod.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of this car is the way it drives. A huge thank you to the current owner who was gracious enough to let us test it for ourselves. If you've ever had the pleasure of tossing one of these pre merger AMG cars around, you know that the 80s engineering leaves something to be desired. There's still plenty of body roll despite the upgraded AMG suspension and why not, it's still a Mercedes. After a long chat with the builders over at Bespoke Upholstery & Restoration, we were told it was their biggest challenge to get the 80’s handling up to par as they refused to settle. So a fully custom designed suspension was engineered for this car giving it handling characteristics that never disappoint. We can honestly vouch for this one, it drives unbelievably well and feels like a brand new, modern Mercedes. A look from underneath and you'll quickly realize this isn't just a pig with lipstick. This is a thoroughly sorted car with painstaking detail and quality. In addition to the coil-over suspension, larger brakes (both front and rear) have been fitted along with a bespoke fully stainless steel exhaust.
Perhaps the one are where we'd have liked to see some of that restomod magic would be under the hood. This car retains it's original m117 5.5 liter engine from the factory. Of course the engine was fully serviced and only has 32k original miles so we can't gripe too hard about it. Our sentiment here was shared though and that's what has led this car back to the auction block. The current owner, deeply in love with the car, decided that he wanted another one only this time, with more power and a manual transmission. The current owner has recommission Bespoke Upholstery & Restoration for a $600,000 M156 6.3 AMG build sitting under another beautiful widebody. As it turns out, if your pockets are deep enough, anything is possible.
So while we anxiously await the debut of the upcoming Bespoke widebody builds, this one is now up for the taking. We certainly don't expect any purists to be bidding, however, there's no denying that this car is, on every level, just as exciting and impressive as an original 6.0L AMG widebody with modern perks... this one just adds a twist with modern fit and finish.
Update: Auction is now live here: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-mercedes-benz-560sec-30/
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