Given how huge the tuning scene is in 2025, it is laborious to think about a time when ordering aftermarket elements on your automotive wasn’t so simple as clicking a button.

This shift just isn’t restricted to the aftermarket world. Nearly each main automaker now gives a degree of customization past simply elective extras – assume BMW’s M Efficiency, Mercedes-Benz’s AMG Line, or Toyota’s GR vary. In reality, as we speak you may order an unpainted carbon fiber hood on your 2.5-tonne Vary Rover Sport instantly from Land Rover as an choice in case you’re so inclined. Nevertheless, whether or not it is a good concept is totally debatable.

Rewind a number of years, and such habits from an OEM can be thought-about madness. However with a lot demand on the market – and producers that may provide elements with out voiding your guarantee – it was solely a matter of time earlier than they wished their piece of the voting pie.

Now, let’s rewind even additional, after a time lengthy earlier than magazines like Most energy and Tremendous Avenue introduced voting tradition to the plenty. Relying on how deep your pockets have been, your choices included having a bash at residence or asking the native storage to assist. However for these whose pockets have been full of great money – or higher but, oil wealth – there was one other choice.

How irritating life will need to have been when not even Rolls-Royce or Bentley might supply a bespoke degree of luxurious on your automotive. The answer? Swap-a-coach builder.

Carriage constructing has a wealthy historical past, with the primary examples courting again to the early 1900s. Alvis Vehicles, for instance, would offer a base chassis, which clients might then customise with a very customized physique and inside. Consider it as an early type of displaying off wealth together with your automotive, a one-of-one particular version with a price ticket to match. However when everybody drives a one-of-onethe novelty wears off rapidly.

The demand for such coachbuilt automobiles step by step disappeared over time, particularly through the two World Wars when many coachbuilders, corresponding to Alvis, switched to plane manufacturing, amongst different issues. Mass manufacturing turned the norm through the Second Industrial Revolution and as such low-volume coachbuilding solely made a comeback within the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s with a brand new wave of extravagant buildings catering to the ultra-rich.

Manufacturers corresponding to ABC Unique, SGS Styling, Carat by Duchatelet, and Trasco have been all heavy hitters throughout this period, and have become identified for accepting requests that have been something however abnormal. This resulted in a few of the most outlandish and wacky automobiles of the time – a lot of which rivaled these within the Sultan of Brunei’s legendary assortment.

And it wasn’t nearly styling. In-car leisure has been an enormous focus, with corporations like Trasco becoming CRT screens and multi-deck sound techniques into their customized builds. The thought was easy: Add extra bling – extra crystal, extra leather-based, extra opulence – than anybody else to make your construct probably the most radical and costly potential. It might sound vulgar, however when your purchasers embody royal households, oil barons and arms sellers, it begins to make sense.

In recent times this era has been referred to as the ‘1000 SEL’ period, a time period popularized by Bram Corts’ good web site, 1000cell.comwhich fastidiously covers the historical past of these key manufacturers and coachbuilders together with the assorted particular version autos.

Why 1000 CELL? One of the vital fashionable premium automobiles of the time was the Mercedes-Benz W126 S-Class. Recognized for its unequalled engineering and luxurious, the highest spec 500 SEL (and later 560 SEL) boasted a 5.0-litre V8 engine and an prolonged wheelbase.

In line with Bram’s analysis, a Center Jap buyer apparently ordered a closely modified 500 SEL from SGS Styling in Germany within the 80s. When the automotive was delivered, the shopper advised SGS boss Chris Hahn that his automotive had been washed “twice nearly as good as a daily 500 CELL,” and that he would really like a badge on the again to characterize it. What’s twice a 500 CELL? A 1000 CELL in fact.

Though by no means an official mannequin designation, the 1000 SEL badge quickly turned an emblem of utmost modifications and luxurious, particularly within the Center East, through the top of the oil growth. It was a type of pre-social media flex – a manner for rich automotive house owners to compete in creating probably the most radical and costly variants of luxurious and sports activities automobiles.

The 1000 SEL period is way more advanced than this very fast abstract and I encourage you to dig deep into Bram’s website – it is so attention-grabbing to see what was finished between 1975 and 1995, and the exorbitant prices related to every motor. Particularly now contemplating that these explicit automobiles and types are coming again into vogue.

However what makes these automobiles actually fascinating is the wealth and secrecy surrounding their patrons. Was it owned by a authorities official? How did a businessman discover over US$250,000 to spec a 1000 SEL in 1985? With such restricted historical past on the market, making an attempt to unravel a automotive’s previous simply provides an additional layer of intrigue.

One factor is for certain, discover any of those automobiles in good situation isn’t any straightforward process. Even interval elements from manufacturers like Carat by Duchatelet value now hundreds – assuming you may even discover somebody keen to promote it.

It’s true Pace ​​hunters common Higuchi-san enters the image. He’s an avid basic Benz fanatic, whose automotive historical past features a 2JZ powered 450 SLC, a number of Tommykaira W124s and even a customized S124 property transformed with 500 E elements. Nevertheless, his newest venture is the fruits of a long time of ardour approached with a contemporary Japanese twist.

Mercedes by no means made a wagon variant of the W126, however Higuchi-san’s 500 TE is way from the primary conversion. You’ll be able to thank the 1000 SEL period for that, particularly Zender who was an early pioneer of the ‘TE’ W126. Zender constructed a number of examples, together with one with an SEC entrance, very like Higuchi-san’s creation.

There is not any eBay search or AliExpress hyperlink to order W126 property conversions, however fortunately for Higuchi-san, he would not have to begin throughout. Not that this lessened the extent of labor required.

“This explicit automotive was owned by a well-known Japanese comic in 1990,” Higuchi-san defined. “He liked American automobiles and regarded a Caprice wagon and likewise the S124 property earlier than deciding on the S-Class wagon. In his eyes, a wagon that anybody might purchase can be boring, so he wished one thing customized.”

Styling Storage Japan, the now-defunct coachbuilder behind the unique venture, was identified for constructing some wild customized creations, together with limousines and even a Z32 wagon.

Their work is very regarded, and when Higuchi-san noticed this explicit W126 turning into accessible in 2020, he jumped on the probability to personal it.

Nevertheless, the wagon has seen higher days. Deserted for years, the paint was cracked, the body was rusted and the bodywork was broken. Worst of all, the customized inside was utterly ripped aside. With no substitute elements accessible, the one answer was to painstakingly recreate and restore. Two phrases that bleed money and time like no different.

Situation apart, the five hundred TE had all of the elements wanted to revive it to its former glory. Many of the customized exterior trim was all intact; it was just a bit drained. When Styling Storage Japan constructed the wagon, they used the rear of an S124. This makes it sound comparatively easy till you study {that a} W126 chassis is nearly 100mm wider than a W124. Every panel needed to be reduce, lengthened, reshaped and welded again into place – a whole bunch of hours of labour. You’ll be able to see why having oil wealth helped fund such a behavior.

What actually makes this type of conversion so troublesome is getting all of the swoop traces and trim from the W124 panels to line up with the W126. Smoothing every little thing would have been sooner, however Higuchi-san was decided to make the automotive look as near OEM as potential earlier than including his private touches.

“When owned by the comic, the unique Anthracite Grey was repainted to Mercedes Blue Black Metallic, earlier than being additional modified to a lighter blue.” added Higuchi-san. “As a result of the paint was so broken, we stripped all of it off and resprayed all the shell Palladium Silver to present it a contemporary look whereas staying true to the unique shade.”

Since all of the chrome trim and plastic across the home windows have been customized made by Styling Storage Japan (not a single piece of the W124 aligned with the unique saloon gadgets), Higuchi-san had no alternative however to color the worn powder to not cowl. moldings and polish the remaining end.

In hindsight, you would be forgiven for considering it was solely a wider S124 because of that angular boot and smaller taillights. Nevertheless, Higuchi-san wished to maintain the total performance of the fuselage, which meant constructing a wholly new customized ground panel and restoring all of the plastic trim used inside. Up entrance, very like Zender’s ’80s idea, an entire SEC conversion was undertaken utilizing all manufacturing unit elements. Though much less advanced in comparison with the trunk fabrication, each entrance wings, the bumper, headlights, grille, hood and flap panel are nonetheless required to do it correctly.

Higuchi-san’s builds all comply with the same type by way of the aftermarket elements he suits, the signature being his proprietary HWA Asteroid wheels. At 17 × 8.5 inches ET18 and 17 × 9.5 inches ET17, the Asteroids are nearly equivalent to the unique Penta/AMG design. One key reality: Higuchi-san makes his wheels in 17-inch dimension, whereas the unique designs solely ever exist in as much as 16-inch.

Behind these wheels you will discover 6-piston ‘Brabus by Alcon’ brakes, first supplied as an improve for the W124 within the 90s. Apart from massively bettering the inventory brake system, they offer a refined nod to the 1000 SEL period with out overshadowing the remainder of the automotive. The stance is enhanced by Dkubus coilovers, and real AMG W126 elements are scattered all through, together with the exhaust, steering wheel and gauges.

All of it comes collectively brilliantly. Higuchi-san has an annoying behavior of constructing automobiles that appear to tick all the appropriate packing containers, and earlier than you already know it, you are looking eBay and on the brink of begin your personal Benz construct. But it surely’s a testomony to his deep information and keenness for each his automobiles and the period they characterize. In a world of quickly assembled buildings being promoted and phased out at breakneck pace, it is all the time refreshing to see what Higuchi-san has up his sleeve.

“All in all, the venture took three years to revive and full,” he provides. “There’s nonetheless work to be finished, however such an attention-grabbing and distinctive automotive deserves to be correctly restored. I do not construct my automobiles for promotion or to promote, they’re to be pushed and loved. I like the look of the property, and lots of people cannot consider it wasn’t a manufacturing unit conversion.”

There are only a few automobiles on the market that do not look higher in wagon type, and I am unable to ever keep in mind driving a automotive and complaining that it had an excessive amount of area. For this reason I’ll all the time be a large advocate for any property automotive; you get all the advantages of a great saloon with sufficient area within the again to pack the entire household in. And Higuchi-san’s W126 500 TE is all of the proof you will ever want that wagons make every little thing higher.

Mark Riccioni
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mark@speedhunters.com