Custom Mercedes-Benz 300CE Twin Turbo Is So Miami Vice, it Hurts
Dreamed up by the car’s original owner, this red widebody Mercedes-Benz is an awesome ’80s throwback.
Taking a look at this bright red 1988 Mercedes-Benz 300CE, you might assume that the original owner performed these modifications when the car was new. After all, this car wouldn’t look out of place in an episode of Miami Vice.
However, if you made that assumption, you’d only be half right. According to the auction listing on BringATrailer (now expired), the original owner began modifying the car in 2009, completing the work in 2012. In addition to the wide body kit, the suspension was also modified, and a Turbo Technics twin turbo kit was installed.
With ’80s nostalgia in full swing, this car still looks amazing to us. Every detail is perfect, from the rear heckblende between the taillights to the mega-wide 17-inch AMG/O.Z. wheels. The body kit isn’t some off-the-shelf item, either – there was some real work involved in making the car look this good.
The rear fender flares come courtesy of the contemporary Porsche 911, while the front fenders are completely custom. The front bumper, side skirts, and rear valence come from AMG. It’s not listed as such, but we assume that the ducktail rear spoiler does, too.
Once the body modifications were completed, the car was resprayed in its original shade of Signal Red. Inside, the tan leather offsets the bright red perfectly, and is oh-so-’80s. With just 68,000 miles on the odometer, the interior presents well. The Recaro seats were reupholstered, a four-spoke, era-correct AMG steering wheel was fitted, and Cocomats make for the perfect finishing touch.
With the twin turbo kit, the car is supposed to make in excess of 340 horsepower. That should offer respectable performance today. Back in the late 1980s, it would have been downright sensational.
If we had to guess, we’d say that this is the vision the original owner has had for this car all along. While this style of modification fell out of favor sometime in the 1990s, enough time has passed that it’s nostalgic – and therefore cool once again. We’re glad, since, secretly, we’ve always loved custom German cars of the late 1980s – the wilder the better.
Photos: BringATrailer
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