There was probably a sale in the auto parts aisle at a local supermarket. Otherwise, we can't imagine where the owner of this once-fine Mercedes-Benz SL got all those kitschy pieces from.
Between us, kitschy is a soft word used to describe this roadster. No one should get anywhere near it before they have a tetanus shot. A strong stomach is also a must, especially for any car lover, as there may not be any dust on it, but it's far from being clean.
Where should we start? With the dual-tone look that mixes red with multiple black accents all around? With the numerous chrome appointments that we can see at the front, sides, and rear, and even around the wheel arches? That fake hood scoop? Guess we already started.
By the way, is that a Bentley emblem we're seeing on the hood? Probably, as it also has additional lights right above the aftermarket apron. It obviously won't do any off-roading, but its owner thought they might look cool, just like the rest of the car. We must also mention the ginormous wing on the rear deck, the quad exhaust tips that don't look bad at all, and numerous other logos.
Photo: Instagram | worst.spec
Even the side skirt add-ons look hideous, and so do the wheels, which are not only on the small side of things, especially when comparing this old roadster to the much newer Mercedes-AMG SL, but they also mix red and silver with a little bit of black. The doors have Mercedes-Benz and AMG badging on them, and since this person wanted their old SL to be an AMG so badly, they also added more such touches inside.
This used to be a fine R230 generation Mercedes SL until the owner decided to turn it into a disgusting machine. This generation came to life from 2001 to 2011 under Daimler Chrysler and Daimler AG, and used to be made at Bremen, in Germany – you know, just like the new AMG SL. All versions were offered in the roadster body style, save for the menacing SL 65 AMG Black Series, which was a coupe.
The engine family comprised multiple V6 units and a few V8s, and manual and automatic transmissions were available, depending on the car's configuration. For what it’s worth, we think this was one of the best-looking Mercedes SLs ever made, as some of its design traits inspired the much more exotic Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, assembled in a little over 2,000 copies from 2003 to 2010.
Thus, we cannot comprehend why someone would do something like this to it. On a more positive aspect, it looks like everything is reversible, so turning it back to its former glory shouldn't be that hard.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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