Richard Mott’s outrageous SL65 based ‘Mercedes-Bent’ is not a new creation: He debuted the car at 2010′s SEMAspecialty show. The premise of the project was optimistic at best and involved removing the skin, interior and retracting top mechanism of a perfectly good 2004 Mercedes SL65 and wrapping the rolling platform with stretched, widened and highly stylized 190SL coachwork!
Mott must be a Mecedes-Benz nut with more than a little hot rod background. This clever creation has ‘resto-mod’ written all over it. While SL purists will cringe at the loss of a perfectly good SL65 AND a sound 190SL, no one can quibble about the quality and creativity we see in these pictures. The scope of the project didn’t seem to faze California’s aptly named ‘Hot Rods & Custom Stuff‘ because they moved the project from renderings to the jewel-like finished that dazzles in every respect.
Continuing the 190SL theme into the interior involved creating special dash panels, seats, steering wheel, AC outlets, door panels – basically every item beyond the basic center console structure was carefully fabricated. This is mind boggling. We presume the original windshield posts were installed to support the specially constructed windshield. The more you look the more mind-bending – and massively expensive – spectacular fabrication you see.
What did it cost? Well, a 2004 SL65 will soak up about $70k and the 190SL donor car had to cost $25k. 3,000+ hours of design and fabrication will cost about $255k (@ $85/hour) and materials likely added $40k which would bring cost to construct the “Bent’ SL to just below $400k. It’s gorgeous and it’s insane but we love it. Bravo Mr. Mott and Hot Rods & Custom Stuff.
