Ricci's Garage: turning a 34-year old AMG into a proper 'coachbuilt' classic

Internationally renowned photographer Mark has been working with TG for many, many years. When not taking photos he’s buying inappropriate cars. Here he shares his addiction with the world

“Mark, I am sorry for the parts taking a long time. There have been some transport issues, but I promise they will be delivered soon.”

Vitaly’s honesty and upfront approach is very admirable compared with many Mercedes specialists out there. Especially when you consider his business, @AMG_Parts_UA, is based in Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv. A place which (understandably) has a few more things to worry about than sending a man in England old AMG parts overnight.

They’re absolutely worth the wait, however. Because Vitaly isn’t just selling any old tat; he’s sourcing and supplying the rarest pre-merger AMG goodies along with other classic Benz upgrades from Brabus, Zender and many more. And given production ended on these parts several decades ago, it’s not the kind of business you can approach like an Amazon Prime order.

So far so good on W126 attempt number three then? Well, it passed its MoT test first time, but still needed a fair chunk of work to make it right courtesy of Angus and the team at Carnaby Motors. But with all that work nearly complete, it stands every chance of being a half decent car despite being 34 years old.

A nice, working SEL has never been the goal here. The lure of a gangster Benz has been strong for a long, long time and this was made infinitely worse back in 2018 after stumbling across a genuine 560SEL AMG in Los Angeles, owned by Crooks and Castles owner Rob Panlilio. Ever since that day I’ve tried (and failed) to build a similar looking Benz without haemorrhaging every penny to my name. And in right now – with these cars now firmly in the ‘cool’ bracket of collectible cars – you’ll struggle to find a genuine AMG W126 for anything less than £100,000. Hell, the DOHC 6.0-litre AMG engines alone fetch more than £30k... if you can even find one.

But just having a lookalike doesn’t sit right with me either. What made this era of car so appealing was the coachbuilt mentality which surrounded them in the Eighties and Nineties, long before optional extras doubling a vehicle’s price were a thing. If you wanted bigger wheels, more screens and leather everywhere, you went to a specialist.

In the case of my W126 560SEL, this particular car went to Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet where it was kitted out with additional screens, recreational tables in the back and even a VHS player stashed in the armrest. On the inside it’s pure Eighties excess, but the outside? It’s lacking a bit of punch. However, this particular car was a Japanese import which might explain the more reserved exterior.

What about the parts from Ukraine? Well, I figured I’d go for a bit of a hybrid build on this Benz. On the outside, it’ll be just like Rob’s AMG – albeit without the AMG badging – so Vitaly’s managed to source a Gen II facelift AMG bodykit for it along with a set of 17x8.5in and 17x10.5in OZ Racing AMG Aero 3 split wheels. For the inside, it’ll be staying just as Carat intended with lashings of veneer, CRT screens and emblems galore. It’s taken the best part of five years and three attempts to get here, but (touch heavily varnished wood) we’re nearly there.