Most people, staring at a rotted-out 1971 Mercedes 300 SEL, would see a parts car at best. Not because it isn’t a car worth saving, but more due to the sheer cost of what a full restoration would cost on what was one of Mercedes-Benz’s greatest creations. Adored by the upper echelons of late 1960's elite, the SEL was the S-Class that laid the foundations for the luxury barges that followed on for decades, boasting all of the opulence of the bigger, stately 600 Grosser, only in a far more useable package, one that encouraged the car to be driven, not just driven in. But back to the rusty, run-down example, Alan Iwamoto didn’t see a parts car, nor, at least initially, an expensive restoration, he saw a starting point. What he's built from it via his now famed workshop known as Smokedogg Customs, is one of those projects that makes you rethink what a "build" even means, because this isn't a restoration and it isn't really a restomod either, it’s closer to a complete reinvention of the car it once was.
The starting point, spiritually at least, was the Red Pig. Mercedes' own 300 SEL 6.8 AMG, the beast that turned up at Spa in 1971 and embarrassed cars that had no business being embarrassed by a saloon. Like so many, Iwamoto always loved that story, but what he didn't love was how race cars like it usually end up looking once they're actually built, stripped bare, purely functional, despite often being seen as works of art. They were built to do a job, and that job doesn’t need comforts, but Iwamotor wanted to change that mentality. "I like things clean and love details," he says, wanting a car that could do the Red Pig's job while also being something you'd happily park at a show or roll up to cars and coffee in.
So, what's hiding behind the iconic tall front grille and under its widebody skin? A full tube chassis, for a start, built specifically to accept a C6 Chevy Corvette's subframes and drivetrain. To us Europeans, an unlikely pairing, but is a proper mechanical marriage, not some parts-bin shortcut. Iwamotor sliced three inches off the roofline, immediately altering the cars stance and character, adding to the insane, entirely hand-built widebody that somehow still has all the hallmarks of a 300 SEL. Managing to widen it dramatically without losing the original lines is no easy feat, and he did it without a single 3D printer or CNC machine in sight. Every panel was shaped by hand, turning this build into a true labour of love.
Then there's the motor, which as you may have guessed from the Chevrolet connection in the subframe, is a 6.0-litre LS, an engine renowned for its durability and capability when cranked up to the max. Of course, that’s exactly what was done, mating twin 62mm turbochargers and mounting them inside the top headlight housings, never has a set of stacked headlights been so useful! It's a genuinely clever bit of design, functional, but also the kind of detail that makes people lean in for a second look once they clock what they're actually staring at. To ensure that power is managable to the hand and as engaging as possible, the Merc has a 6 speed T56 six speed manual transmission, fitted in the rear along with the diff, just like an SLS AMG. Add suicide doors, which Iwamoto threw in simply because he's always loved them on Rolls-Royces and Lincoln Continentals and figured, why not, and you've got a car that looks like nothing else on the road. Looks are one thing, and in this case, deeply impressive, but as you may have guessed by the punchy V8 upfront, and the references to AMG’s Red Pig earlier, this is no show queen bound to be trailered, this is a car that’s used.
The splitters, the suspension, the drivetrain, Iwamoto's been clear that all of it is built to actually perform, not just to look the part sitting still. Looking good and going fast aren't in competition here, they're the same goal approached from two directions at once. He plans to drift this big barge, hit the drag strip, as well as compete in time attack events across the US, and, perhaps most impressive of all, also crack the 200mph club at Texas’ TX2K.
It’s a build made entirely from a deep love of the process and is one clearly close to Alan’s heart. After becoming the first person anywhere to design and cut a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, it tells you the level of hand-built customisation he aims for. No shortcuts, no half-sends, but pure, all-out car craziness at its most unhinged, and we adore both him and the car for that. To top it off, Alan noted he calls his Merc the Blue Boar, as a subtle, comedic nod to the fact this wide-bodied beast would defeat the original Red Pig – now that would be a race we’d like to see!
Pictures by Darrien Craven
