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An Original “Koenig Specials” Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC – A 400 BHP Supercharged ’80s Icon
This is a rare original “Koenig Specials” Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC, it’s a significantly modified 560 SEC built by one of the most influential German tuning houses of all time, and it now produces 400 bhp thanks to its bolt-on supercharger.
Koenig Specials became icons in the 1980s and 1990s, the company was one of the world’s first outlandish tuning houses best remembered today for their 986 bhp Koenig Competition Evolution – a twin-turbo Ferrari Testarossa that angered Enzo Ferrari so much he insisted (with the threat of litigation) that all Ferrari badging be removed from the car.
Fast Facts – The Koenig Specials 560 SEC
- The Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC was the German automakers top-of-the-line luxury coupe from 1985 until 1991.
- The 560 SEC was powered by a 5547cc all-alloy V8 it produced 300 bhp and 335 lb ft of torque in original factory specification, almost 30,000 of them would be made in total.
- That big, under-stressed V8 made the car an ideal target for tuners, the most extreme example was the Koenig Special, a car that made 400 bhp thanks to its supercharger and a slew of other performance modifications.
- It’s not known exactly how many Koenig Specials 560 SECs were built, they only come up for sale rarely and they always attract attention for their performance and their wild ’80s body kits.
Willy König And Enzo Ferrari
The Koenig Specials tuning company was founded by successful racing driver and entrepreneur Willy König in Munich in 1977. König had made his fortune in the publishing industry and became a racing driver in 1961 with the purchase of a Formula Junior Cooper from Formula 1 driver Wolfgang von Trips.
Cars built by Koenig Specials became famous for their wild bodykits and outlandish performance. Tuners of this nature are commonplace now, but Koenig Specials was one of the earliest and most influential.
Far from being just another gentleman driver at the back of the grid, Willy was fast. So fast in fact that he won the Deutsche Bergmeisterschaft (German Hillclimbing Championship) in 1962 driving a Ferrari 250 GT SWB.
This would lead to the beginning of a friendly relationship with Enzo Ferrari who threw a party at Ferrari headquarters in Maranello to celebrate König’s remarkable achievement.
The two men didn’t know it at the time, but a few years later their friendship would end acrimoniously, with Ferrari threatening legal action unless König removed all Ferrari badging from the cars he was modifying.
The Wild Koenig Specials
Upon (temporarily) retiring from motor racing in 1969, Willy König began tuning exotic cars to further improve their performance and their on-track ability.
The first car he modified in this way was the Ferrari 365 GT4 BB, other owners saw the changes he had made to the car and requested he do the same to theirs – and thus the business was born.
His goal was to “make Ferraris proper sports cars again,” which undoubtedly drew the ire of Enzo Ferrari. By the 1980s he was making “Koenig Specials” versions of cars from a number of different manufacturers including Mercedes, Porsche, Jaguar, and Lamborghini, alongside their popular Ferrari offerings.
The Albrex supercharged 5.5 liter V8 is an all-alloy Mercedes unit with a single overhead cam per bank and 400 bhp.
The most famous Koenig Specials creation is undoubtably the above mentioned Koenig Competition Evolution, a wildly modified Ferrari Testarossa with almost 1000 bhp thanks to a vast array of modifications in the engine bay, most notably the large twin turbochargers.
Although a much smaller company nowadays, Koenig Specials is still in business. They’ve eschewed the idea of having dealers or representatives, and now only sell kits and parts via their own decidedly retro website.
The Koenig Specials 560 SEC
One of the cars modified by the company in the 1980s and 1990s was the venerable Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC, the ultra-luxurious German GT car capable of 155 mph in stock trim.
Willy König realized that the large 5.5 liter V8 was relatively unstressed in the tune it came from the factory, so working with his team he developed a series of modifications for the car to improve performance drastically, and to fundamentally change the look of the car with one of the company’s signature bodykits.
Under the hood they fitted an Albrex supercharger and a new exhaust manifold, with the ECU tuned to match. Uprated suspension and brakes were fitted as each of the four corners along with gold and polished alloy BBS wheels.
The interior of many cars built by Koenig Specials remained largely unmodified. The company was dedicated to speed and performance, and many of the cars they built already had luxuriously appointed interiors.
Depending on which year you placed your order you would have received one of two bodykits, version one or version two. Version one has Ferrari Testarossa-like side strakes leading to the rear wheel arch and version two has a more traditional air inlet in the same location – both include flared wheel arches and an optional rear wing.
With 400 bhp and 369 lb ft or torque the Koenig Specials version of the Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC was considerably faster, louder, and more visually impressive than the car it started out as. They were sold in Europe, the United States, and as far away as Japan.
The car you see here is a 1990 model with a version two body kit, it comes with a Koenig-supplied Certificate of Origin and original brochures and it has Blue-Black Metallic paint over a Black leather interior.
This car was “The Youngtimers” Class Winner at the 2021 London Concours, it was imported into the UK from Japan in 2014 and the owner has had £15,000 worth of work done to the car since. It will come with a spare wheel, tool kit, warning triangle further to paperwork including import documents and selected invoices and MoT certificates.
If you’d like to read more about this unusual Mercedes you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to roll across the auction block on the 6th of November with a price guide of $170,000 – $205,000 USD.
Images: Peter Seabrook ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The post An Original “Koenig Specials” Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC – A 400 BHP Supercharged ’80s Icon appeared first on Silodrome.
from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/koenig-specials-mercedes-benz-560-sec/
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For Sale: A Paris-Dakar Rally Veteran Toyota Land Cruiser J75
This considerably modified Toyota Land Cruiser J75 is a two-time Paris-Dakar Rally veteran, it was piloted by French owner/driver Richard Romagny in the 1999 and 2003 events, finishing 35th from a field of 81 entries in 1999.
Romagny would use this Land Cruiser to contest a number of similar rally events over the years as well as in a French telethon charity event to raise money for those in need. The vehicle is now being listed for sale alongside Romagny’s huge collection of over 100 vehicles from the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond.
Fast Facts – Paris-Dakar Land Cruiser PHZJ 75
- This vehicle started life as a standard 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser J75, the medium wheelbase model from the J70 family.
- When it arrived in France it was sent to Pierre-Claude Gillier of AMS for a full rebuild to Paris-Dakar Rally specifications.
- This rebuild included an engine swap to a 4.2 liter turbocharged inline-six cylinder HDJ80 engine, considerably upgraded suspension front and rear, and a modified rear that now includes a 310 liter fuel tank, an equipment locker, and up to three spare wheels.
- The vehicle is now being offered for sale from the owner’s collection of over 100 vehicles.
The Toyota Land Cruiser J75
The Toyota Land Cruiser J75 is the medium wheelbase version of the J70 series, the short wheelbase version is the J70, and the longer wheelbase versions were the J78 and the J79 – often referred to as “Troopy” in Australia.
Although it’s still unmistakably a 70 series Land Cruiser, this Paris-Dakar racer has been significantly modified for high-speeds over rough terrain.
Toyota developed the 70 series to replace the 40 series Land Cruisers, a challenging task given the popularity of the outgoing model and its long production run – a production run that would eventually stretch out to 41 years thanks to Brazilian production continuing until 2001.
The development of the 70 series would focus on keeping the traits that had made the 40 series so popular, but adding improvements wherever possible. Suspension was improved, engines and transmissions were upgraded, the styling of the body was brought up to date, and the interior of the vehicles was made almost luxurious by comparison.
This formula, though simple, was highly effective. The 70 series has become just as beloved as its forebear and it may even become longer-lived – with production continuing from 1984 to the present day.
This Modified Toyota Land Cruiser PHZJ 75 Racer
The J75 Land Cruiser you see here was built with a single purpose in mind – off-road racing.
The rear bodywork was completely removed and replaced with a new race-specific rear that carries a 310 liter fuel tank (82 gallons), a lockable storage trunk, and three spare wheels and tires.
The original engine has been replaced with a rebuilt, race-spec 4.2 liter HDJ80 engine, a turbodiesel straight-six producing 180 hp and close to 300 ft lbs of torque.
The original engine was removed and replaced with a larger 4.2 liter HDJ80 engine, a turbocharged inline-six cylinder diesel that was modified for racing. Uprated coil spring suspension was fitted front and back with twin shock absorbers at each corner. A nudge bar was fitted up front, and adorned with four Hella spotlights.
As water crossing would be minimal a full-height snorkel was deemed unnecessary, so a smaller snorkel was fitted just behind the front right headlight and indicator assembly. White steel wheels were fitted with chunky rubber, and wheel arch extensions were added to keep them covered.
Inside the truck a full roll cage was installed for safety, and the driver/co-driver sit in Sparco racing seats with full harnesses. The truck is now for sale via Artcurial, it’s clear that it’ll need a full recommissioning before any racing is attempted, but it certainly appears to be an excellent starting point.
If you’d like to read more about this unusual Paris-Dakar Rally veteran you can click here to visit the listing, it’s due to cross the auction block on the 22nd of November with a price guide of $81,800 – 151,900 USD.
Images courtesy of ©Peter Singhof via Artcurial
The post For Sale: A Paris-Dakar Rally Veteran Toyota Land Cruiser J75 appeared first on Silodrome.
from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/toyota-land-cruiser-paris-dakar-rally/
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Full Documentary: Ford And The American Dream
Ford And The American Dream is a full length documentary film about the history of one of America’s most famous automakers.
The film moves through Ford history starting before the Model T and highlights many of the company’s greatest hits, like the Model T, the ’32 Ford, the ’38 and ’39 Fords, the Ford-build Jeeps, the ’49 Ford and the Thunderbirds starting in 1955.
Lincolns get a number of honorable mentions as do the Mercurys. As the film moves into the 1960s the Mustang takes centerstage, thanks to the wild popularity of the car that sold millions of units and founded the “pony car” craze.
The incredible affordability of the Model T Ford made it a revolutionary vehicle in the United States, it gave regular folks the opportunity to own a car for the first time.
The Ford GT40s and their remarkable wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans finish up the coverage of the 1960s. Interestingly there’s no mention of the Ford Bronco series, perhaps a little surprising given the popularity of the model and its influence on SUVs going forwards.
Over the course of the almost hour-long film you’ll see a vast array of footage from the Ford vault including new car releases, racing, and factory footage of the cars being made. It’s not a deep dive into Ford history and it doesn’t include any of the mistakes or controversies in Ford history, but it does give a good quick foundation on major Ford models from the early-to-mid 20th century.
If you’d like to see a timeline of major milestones in Ford history you can click here, and if you’d like a more detailed look that includes the above mentioned controversies you can click here to read the lengthy Wikipedia history on the history of the Ford Motor Company.
The post Full Documentary: Ford And The American Dream appeared first on Silodrome.
from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/full-documentary-ford-and-the-american-dream/
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