In case you’ve stored up with our summer season occasion protection, you’ll have seen our tales from Membership de Ultrace 2024. Since, Vladimir, Alen and I have been all on the bottom in Wrocław, Poland for this 12 months’s present, we thought we’d do one thing we’ve by no means performed earlier than and choose one automobile for a particular Speedhunters’ Selection award.
After some planning with the Ultrace crew and a last-minute {custom} trophy-sourcing train, we made our choice in Martin Szombierski’s 1969 Mercedes-Benz W108.
In the present day, I’m right here to indicate you why. As a result of there’s much more occurring than first meets the attention with Martin’s Mercedes construct.
Mercedes-Benz followers might have already drawn a resemblance to the 1971 300 SEL 6.8 AMG race automobile, higher referred to as Rote Sau – or Purple Pig in English.
Known as the Purple Pig as an insult, not a praise, the unique AMG-fettled 300 SEL took a shock class win on the 1971 Spa 24 Hours endurance race and completed second general. Its repute has remained legendary within the years since, a lot in order that Mercedes-Benz constructed a reproduction within the mid-2000s after the unique was offered to an aeronautical firm, transformed to a six-door rolling check car, and misplaced to historical past.
The Rote Sau holds a particular place in my coronary heart as a testomony to large vehicles disrupting the established order, so after I noticed Martin’s W108 parked close to the stage at Ultrace, I used to be stopped lifeless in my tracks.
I can say the identical for Alen and Vladimir, who each have been taken in by one of the crucial outstanding OEM+ builds we’ve ever seen.
The bodywork alone is phenomenal, with the vast arches including 200mm to the automobile’s width. The paintwork is gorgeous too; glassy with an actual depth to it. It’s an OEM+ contact being Mercedes-Benz ‘China Blue,’ a color you’d extra doubtless see on an S63 or G-Class today.
Beneath the arches sit {custom} three-piece, BBS-made Mercedes-Benz Designo wheels, one other OEM+ contact. These have been initially two-piece 17-inch wheels, however at the moment are stepped as much as 19-inch and wrapped in Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 tyres.
What stood out to me probably the most concerning the exterior, nonetheless, was the brightwork. Every bit of chrome is both model new from Mercedes or was re-plated to an ideal mirror end – which made taking some photographs an absolute nightmare, might I add.
But the outside continues to be a toned-down affair, having had the chrome facet trims eliminated and smoothed out. The bumpers have been additionally deleted, similar to the unique Rote Sau.
In contrast to the race automobile, the rear bumper mounting factors have been fully smoothed out. Moreover, as an alternative of a brace of Marchal lights, Martin has opted for Hella driving lamps on the entrance of the automobile.
The W108’s inside takes a really related method to its modifications, combining the unique design and format with a minimalist, fashionable therapy.
There are swathes of black leather-based and suede contained in the automobile, however no walnut trim as you may anticipate finding in a car of this classic.
“I purchased the W108 as a result of my dad and I actually like Mercedes’, this mannequin specifically,” says Martin. “And it was the primary ‘correct’ AMG created.”
Clearly conscious of the importance of the Purple Pig in AMG’s historical past, Martin wished to show his W108 into his model of an outsized cruise missile.
The low-back bucket seats belong in an F-body Porsche 911, as does the Momo Prototipo steering wheel. Each ends of the dashboard are flanked by the vents from a facelift W2123 E-Class coupé.
Peer by means of that steering wheel and also you’ll discover smoked glass over the instrument cluster, which lights as much as reveal fashionable gauges and a digital show…
…whereas the beefed-up transmission tunnel is one other clue that one thing is amiss with Martin’s W108, regardless of the gear degree being oh-so-retro.
This automobile’s secret is so nicely built-in, that even with the doorways open you wouldn’t have the ability to inform what it’s. Open the bonnet, nonetheless, and it turns into clear. Martin’s Mercedes might look like a 1969 SE, however beneath the pores and skin it’s a W211 E500 from 2003.
Behind the big grille lies a 5.0-litre M113 V8 engine, pushing 306hp (and 460Nm of torque) to the rear wheels; roughly 200hp greater than how a typical W108 left the manufacturing line in 1969.
All OEM driving comforts stay with purposeful ABS and energy steering modernising the driving expertise. There’s even a purposeful OBD-II diagnostics system.
A have a look at the suspension turrets and trip top offers Martin’s automobile away as sitting on air suspension. This side of the construct is one other a part of why we selected this Mercedes for the award.
“The automobile was fully constructed by me and my dad in our storage, so it’s our handiwork. From the bodywork to the {custom} inside parts, {custom} air suspension, physique swap and extra,” Martin shares proudly.
That’s proper, even the air trip was custom-built by Martin and his father. The setup options D2 shock absorbers with a bespoke airbag setup, and a handbook 3-switch controller setup hooked as much as stress gauges mounted on the transmission tunnel.
The system is admittedly old-school, however spectacular nonetheless.
“We constructed the Mercedes as a result of we like engaged on vehicles – previous ones particularly – and we wished to do one thing out of the bizarre,” explains Martin. “What I like about it’s that I did all of the work with my dad. After we began engaged on it 4 years in the past, we didn’t know if it will work. However we created what you may see right here utilizing the Purple Pig as our inspiration.”
Vlad, Alen and I did lap after lap of Tarczyński Enviornment Wrocław on the lookout for vehicles for the Speedhunters award. The funniest a part of all of it? Alen and I did just a few laps collectively on the finish of the primary day, and Martin’s automobile was the very first one we selected to take a better have a look at. All it took was the construct story to substantiate our intestine feeling.
Particular because of Mica Dori, Barry Sweeney, Coen de Korte, Until Dönnebrink, and Patrik and Wiktor at PG Efficiency for his or her assist in creating the Speedhunters Selection trophy.
