Mercedes Sedan Blows Away Competition at Radwood Philly
Rocking a Koenig Specials widebody kit and draped in burgundy paint, this 1987 560SEL is the ultimate 1980s throwback.
The Eighties were a truly magical time in human history. Pastel and spandex clothes flew off the shelves, the music was turbocharged with synthesizers, turbos were the future of performance, and pop culture was at its peak.
The Eighties were also a truly magical time for German tuners Willy and Walter Koenig, whose Koenig Specials brought their racing successes to the street. One of their raddest creations is, of course, their take on the Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, an example of which recently landed at Radwood Philadelphia to take home the title of “Raddest in Show,” and was captured by YouTuber TalonTSi97 Videos.
While most Koenig Specials MBs were coupes, this one, owned by Louis Seiden of the Philadelphia suburb of Cinnaminson, New Jersey, is a sedan draped in burgundy paint and wearing a set of 18-inch BBS wheels, the rear set of which are deep enough to take an entire dollar with no problem.
This two-owner 560SEL has always arrived in style; according to Bring a Trailer, its original owner “was so anxious to get the car, he arranged a Lufthansa cargo plane to expedite delivery to Philadelphia!”
The 560SEL has MB’s 5.5-liter M117 OHC V8, which made 275 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque in its day, and has logged nearly 48,000 miles since it was first purchased over 30 years ago. The engine, per Bring a Trailer, remains unchanged.
There’s no doubt this Koenig Specials 560SEL is worthy of its Radwood Philly trophy; it’s also thrown-down against a wide assortment of imports and domestics at the 2015 Philadelphia Auto Show Face-Off. This is one rad Mercedes we wouldn’t mind taking back in time to the neon-soaked 1980s.