The story of KOENIG SPECIALS began in 1974, when founder Willy König took delivery of the very first Ferrari 365 BB in West Germany. Unfortunately, after an illustrious motorsport career behind the wheel of machines like the Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione, Ford GT 40, and Lola T 70, the Berlinetta Boxer’s performance felt somewhat lackluster by comparison. This lead König to heavily upgrade the Prancing Horse model with a host of performance parts and a custom widebody kit. This one-off wide-bodied Ferrari would then catch the attention of other owners who began requesting their own widebody cars, ultimately prompting Willy to start a business upgrading already high-performance luxury models — one of which was this ultra-rare 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SL that’s just gone up for auction.
The German tuning outfit has treated the Benz to one of its signature widebody kits that sports revised bumper covers, a chin spoiler, rocker extensions, side strake-equipped widened rear fenders, a decklid spoiler, Euro-style headlights, dual mirrors, and a rear valance. Rated at 160hp and 230ft-lbs of torque, power comes from a 4.5-liter M117 V8 engine with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection that’s paired with a three-speed automatic transmission and fitted with ceramic-coated headers feeding into a Supersprint stainless-steel exhaust system.
Riding on three-piece 16” BBS RS wheels with black centers, polished lips, gold assembly bolts, and Toyo Proxes tires, this KOENIG SPECIALS-modified 450SL also features power-assisted steering, a Dkubus Blackline 107 suspension setup with adjustable coilovers all around, and four-wheel disc brakes with gold-painted calipers and newly replaced pads. In 2019, this example was also treated to a fresh coat of black paint that’s now fortified beneath a ceramic coating. Inside, the cabin sports Koenig-branded floor mats, a Zebrano wood trim package, a Becker Mexico stereo, a leather-wrapped three-spoke Recaro Special steering wheel, and a set of heated and electronically-adjustable Recaro C Classic seats that are trimmed in red leather, adorned in Koenig Specials seat-back badges, and equipped with Blaupunkt headrest speakers.
Located in River Grove, Illinois, this 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SL KOENIG SPECIALS Widebody is currently on the online auction block of Bring a Trailer where, as of the time of writing, bidding has reached $23,000 with six days remaining on the sale. Alongside the R107 specimen itself, this sale also includes a car cover, a tool kit, and a body-colored removable hardtop.
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