Vehicle Description
Need a parts chaser with a bit of German flavor? How about the most
attention-grabbing hauler you've ever seen? However you slice it,
this 1988 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL pickup isn't your average Autobahn
stormer. Custom built by the guys at German Motorcars in Florida,
it's a beautifully rendered German version of a purely American
invention.
Starting life as a prestigious 420SEL luxury sedan, this awesome
truck/car now has an ultra-clean look that looks like it could have
come from the factory in all of this glory. The silver and blue
paint combination looks vaguely reminiscent of the factory's dealer
service vehicles, and that might be purely intentional on the
builder's part. Of course, it's like nothing the factory's ever
built for public consumption, but that doesn't make it any less
cool. The original S-Class sedan was sectioned behind the front
seats and a custom bulkhead was built to separate the passenger
compartment from the bed. Then the entire bed was hand-fabricated
and the bodywork was extensively modified to keep its Mercedes-Benz
identity but with an entirely different shape. The doors, quarter
panels, and trunk lid were all sectioned and salvaged to retain the
OEM look, but they're so seamlessly stitched together that you'll
never spot the modifications. It's got a few signs of use here and
there, but that's hardly a demerit for a car this useful. A few
chrome pieces keep its upscale vibe, and with the big grille and
three-pointed star emblems, nobody will ever mistake this for
anything but a high-end luxury cruiser.
The interior keeps all its Mercedes-Benz bits as well, including
the supportive blue leather bucket seats. In fact, the door panels,
carpets, dashboard, and all the controls are completely stock and
fully functional, making this one of the most luxurious pickup
truck ever designed. A big steering wheel frames familiar
Mercedes-Benz gauges, the Teutonic shifter still manages the
transmission, and the stereo system was heavily upgraded to fill
the modified passenger compartment with sound. Things like
automatic climate control, power windows and locks, cruise control,
and those cool pictograms for the power seats all remain in place,
so from behind the wheel, you'll never even notice the
modifications. Everything works, too, which is always a nice
perk.
Although the badge on the tail says "KOMPRESSOR" (which is German
for supercharger), this is a stock 4.2 liter OHC V8, the same one
that has powered these cars for decades. Smooth, torquey, and
capable of cruising for hours on end at triple-digit speeds, it's
still an awesome choice for a truck, er, car like this. It was
rebuilt when the truck conversion was done, which was about 35,000
miles ago, and given the durability of these machines, it should
out last us all. Bright blue cam covers highlight the largely stock
engine bay and you can see that there are quite a few new
components throughout. The A/C has been converted to R134a
refrigerant for ease of maintenance and many of the belts and hoses
are new. The 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission changes gears
without any drama and the fully independent suspension still feels
supple and sophisticated. Four-wheel discs are standard equipment,
too, and a recent exhaust system has just the right V8 rumble, but
it's ever so hushed. Late-model AMG alloys complete the OEM look
and carry a recent set of 235/45/17 Continental performance
radials.
It's definitely unusual, but the build quality and the awesome look
will make this Mercedes the star of any show it enters, and it's
remarkably practical to boot! Call today!
VIN:WDB1260351A408542