Mercedes 500 SEC (C 126): Sbarro Gullwing How the S-Class Coupé got gullwing doors

Klassik Auto Bild Posted on May 15, 2020

The coupé of the Mercedes S-Class W 126 series is regarded by its lovers as a stylistic masterpiece with perfect proportions. Affectionately known as the "Sseck", the SEC comes from the pen of design legend Bruno Sacco and beguiles not only its exterior with comfort, equipment, quality and incomparable handling. Today, however, connoisseurs appreciate the understatement of the Mercedes C 126 model series most. In the shrill 80s it was different. Rich individualists wanted to attract attention with their coupés and tuners answered the demand. First, the styling garage from Hamburg knitted the Daimler into extraordinary gullwings. Two years later, the Italian designer Franco Sbarro also discovered the market for himself.

Optical tuning and performance upgrades on request

Mercedes 500 SEC (C 126): Sbarro Gullwing

At first glance, the Sbarro conversion looks like a spaceship. In contrast to the more well-known conversion from Hamburg, the doors are made of plastic and are significantly shorter than the original SEC doors. This completely changes the silhouette of the C 126. Sbarro pulled up the entrances based on the 300 SL gullwing. This is a clever reminiscence, but it should make getting in and out noticeably more difficult. In addition, there are adjustable Recaro seats in the cockpit, a front that reminds a little of contemporary men's electric shavers, flared wheel arches, closed rims and a widebody kit at the rear, with which the Sbarro-Benz did not have to hide from any super sports car of its time. Unlike Styling Garage, Sbarro also offered engine upgrades. If you wanted to have your 500 SEC gullwing powered by the 6.9-liter Super V8 of the Mercedes S-Class W 116, you could order it that way. The interested party only had to bring the necessary change. According to reports, the conversion alone cost the equivalent of about 100,000 euros. 14 copies of the Sbarro Gullwing were produced, the majority went to sheikhs from the Middle East. Note on the side: By the way, the extraordinary car was called "Sbarro Mercedes 500 Portes Papillon" with its full name.

Who was the first owner?

However, there was apparently an exception to shipping to the Middle East. Gaston Rossato found this Sbarro Gullwing in Colombia. Rossato specializes in rare vehicles and operates the classic car trade "The Barn Miami" in Florida. Now it must be clearly stated that, according to the dealer, there are no documents about the first owner of the car. But the fact that a tuning Daimler painted in bright white reached the then main country of cocaine export in 1987 has been causing speculation since the Netflix series "Narcos" at the latest. Because the passion for Mercedes of drug lord Pablo Ecobar is proven. In addition, it is known that Escobar, unlike its competitors from the Cali cartel, liked to spend a lot of money on extravagant luxury toys, such as a private zoo on his ranch. By the way, this Sbarro Gullwing is now also in the Middle East. Rossato sold him to Saudi Arabia for 90,000 US dollars (around 82,000 euros).

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