Mercedes-Benz SL 500 “Wolfhound”: the beast in retroshkure

The town of Belorechensk, Krasnodar Territory, only 50 thousand people and such a “UFO”! But we know that sometimes the most interesting, non-trivial works are born just far from regional capitals. Why are there – the authors even go to the federal level. So it happened in our case – the project, which will be discussed, was made to order and sent to St. Petersburg. Although the first such was created for a local resident. In general, the workshop from Belorechensk and its founder Sergey Vladimirovich Vassalakiev began in the 90s. With jeeps for yourself and your friends. Continuing with a very peculiar “quadrics”.

The first ATVs were carried out on the basis of the Ural motorcycles: the front fork was replaced with a two-lever suspension bracket from the “classics”, and a bridge from the same Zhiguli was suspended from behind. On the left and in the center exactly such work. Right – already based on Subaru Justy
Then the time came for the “raw material” larger – Mercedes-Benz SL and G-Klasse.

Another work is the 21st on the “shishiga” chassis with a diesel engine from the T-40.

It is supposed to cling to the cabin, which will be turned into a modern camper, and go to the countryside. In the asset still restoration projects – some are already ready, others – in the process. Of the latter – GAZ-12 ZIM. Well, for many years the usual bodywork, for which, of course, has accumulated a wealth of experience.

Here is such a versatility. And its coolest embodiment is two replicas of the Volga, one of which we met. Technology worked! How did it appear and what is it like? In fact, things could go differently. The customer of the blue car presented below was not at all about to get what he won in the end.

I just wanted the original 21st, but with some kind of import aggregates. There are many such projects. Another powerful “six”, “automatic” is installed, while the chassis is left to be gas. You can “shoot”, but without the frills – the suspension with the brakes will not allow. And the appearance of the Volga in the original is not one of the most impetuous and impressive. In any case, if we talk about the compliance of its more or less modern technical stuffing. In general, we thought in our workshop and decided to adjust the desires of the customer. Specifically – they offered him not to thrust new installations into the old body, but to fully use a certain foreign chassis.

It should be noted that similar variants of the symbiosis “retro” and “techno”, when the import platform is covered with a classic body, in which all the mounted elements are removed and the roof with racks cut off, is not uncommon. Here is one of the most characteristic and high-quality representatives of this trend. In this case, on the one hand, the owner receives his favorite exterior almost unchanged. On the other – certain problems. For example, with the integrity of the body’s power structure, and therefore with safety. Or, which is much worse for many, design difficulties. In Belorechensk, at the stage of preparing for the first order, it was firmly decided that the future project should be formalized, that is, be registered with the traffic police. Perhaps this is precisely what can explain the choice of technology for creating both blue and green replicas.

So, based on the Mercedes-Benz SL in the back of the R129.

This was produced from 1989 to 2001 and the fans of the Mersov are considered the last “classic” roadster from Stuttgart. Then they went completely licked “dvuhtkki” with new, challenging questions engines and “automatic”. Surely something similar could come out of them. However, the brutal 129th seems to say with all its appearance, proportions – take me, sculpt anything.

In general, we will not beat around the bush. SL shared more than one chassis with units, suspensions and lower power elements – completely the whole body. In other words, not only spars, engine shield, “mud flaps” are saved. Even the roof pillars, door frames and know-how of that time from Mercedes are a safety arc “fired” during a coup, located behind the seat backs. The bonus got two top options: hard, designed for harsh winters, manually dismantled.

And soft, “stretching” with the help of an electric drive.

But this, we will repeat, so to speak, what went “in the base” and did not undergo any changes in comparison with the donor. We are with you watching the car, very far from the Mercedes styling of the late 80s. A great connoisseur of the “three rays” recognizes the source code only from the characteristic outline of the doors and the subwindow line up to the trunk.

For the rest, we face the classic image from the post-war 50s with their aerospace design, which is then relevant not only on the other side of the ocean. “Volga”? Without a doubt, this could look like a coupe / cabriolet based on the GAZ-21, if the leadership of the USSR did not consider this selfish type of body a relic of the decaying West. And the matter is not only in the characteristic solutions (the shape of the front and rear wings, ending with lighting). From the original “barge” to the replica, all the jewelry that had been bought new (that is, from storage) and left unchanged had migrated.