What this guy converts R170 platforms into is nothing short of a miracle. To me, it's more desirable than having an actual 300SL as it's a modern car with daily-driver potential.

 

Full Marks!

 

I don’t know if this is from the same company or not but on Bitchin Rides a guy brought one to Kindig for repairs. The repairs ran over a couple episodes, body parts didn’t fit, parts didn’t match side to side, proportions were out of whack, it was quite a mess. I think they worked on it for over a year, remade almost every part on it.

 

before i watch the video.... there is a good interview somewhere with the guy that built this car. he goes into great detail about how he built the car. he had access to a original 300sl that the owner let him dismantle and make molds of the original car. the body panels on that car are near identical to the original. it is a very cool build. .

edit: ok this is the interview i saw years ago. very interesting.

 

the car was built for the 2018 SEMA show, the owner John is very talented and we were glad to be brought on board for a portion of the build.

 

Well he made at least one more 300SL replica on the back of a MB SLK32 AMG. This one a one-owner 2002 76,000 mile car he purchased in Houston in 2015, VIN WDBKK66F52F242069. This car took him 2 years to complete and was originally sold at a 2017 Sothebys action in Los Angeles, It's been up for sale several times since including at a Mecum auction. Here are 20 pictures from another time it was offered for sale and I'll include more pictures below. 1955 benz 300sl gullwing replica ? luxury vehicle For Sale in Glendale, California, United States | LuxuryAutoMotoSale.com
I like the fact this example was made to look like a normal street-driven 300SL instead of a race car and I prefer the red interior over that of the gaudy-blue interior of his first conversion.

 

Bonus points!!! This conversion has what looks to me to be a standard Mercedes-Benz steering-wheel (the first conversion had an after-market NON-airbag wheel). Does anyone recognize which model MB the steering wheel is from? I honestly don't know but as an R170 wheel bolts right onto the Crossfire it stands to reason this wheel would as well.

23 more pictures: https://picclick.com/1955-Replica-Ki...590404168.html

 

[QUOTE=WD40;944410]Bonus points!!! This conversion has what looks to me to be a standard Mercedes-Benz steering-wheel (the first conversion had an after-market NON-airbag wheel). Does anyone recognize which model MB the steering wheel is from? I honestly don't know but as an R170 wheel bolts right onto the Crossfire it stands to reason this wheel would as well.

It looks like my R172 slk wheel except for the colour and material.

 

[QUOTE=Reliableron;944423]It looks like my R172 slk wheel except for the colour and material.[/QOTE]

https://www.ebay.com/i/274385715548
Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner!

 

[QUOTE=Reliableron;944423]Exactly. If he figured out how to get radio functions on the steering wheel from the R172 and convert it to work on our platforms that would be something I’d definitely be interested in knowing how to do!!

 

eBay
The seller (of the steering wheel) has a HUGE list of Mercedes models this wheel will fit and ALSO SAYS it is backwards compatible to a further huge number of different Mercedes models; to simply contact him to be be told if additional parts are needed to fit this wheel to your older Mercedes. It's all explained in the link above. Since Chrysler just discontinued the Crossfire steering wheel from the MOPAR parts list THIS WEEK (3 days ago to be exact) I can see why that will be of paramount importance in the future.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-Merced...7/274052423862

I installed a brand-new steering-wheel on my Xfire earlier this year so I know the fitting requirements intimately. Looking at them it seems like the MAJORITY of Mercedes steering-wheels (but NOT ALL!) will bolt right up to the Xfire. As you stated the greater problem will be getting the buttons to function although ALL WE TRULY NEED is for the horn & airbag to work and we are no worse off, yet we avail ourselves to quite a few sweet looking hand-held car-controllers. And NEW ONES even, which is more than you can say of the Chrysler unit now. Some of the steering-wheels look nearly identical to the Crossfire unit, specifically the W211 E-Class, 2005-2007 W219 CLS-Class & lower-tier S-Class steering wheels.

The link above has a wheel which meets the minimum requirements. 360-degree splines inside the 20mm mounting-hole and that specific shape above the splines (a bevel/indentation) for the Crossfire washer/nut to seat.

 

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/64gAA...5F/s-l1600.jpg (Crossfire airbag)
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/slQAA...wC/s-l1600.jpg (W211 E-Class airbag) - Stupidly, this E-Class airbag is sat upside-down, proving an idiot was on the job!

As you can see the electrical connectors for the horn & the airbag are EXACTLY THE SAME between the two units, and also the threads for the two long T30 torx mounting bolts that hold the airbag to the steering wheel are located in exactly the same positions.

 

I know the R171 steering wheel fits our cars. A couple of guys over in the Facebook groups have put them in. The topic was brought up to one of them if he had functioning controls and his reply was no.

 

Here's how it's done. You get a retrofit adapter to connect the wires to the proper place on the electrical plug. But this doesn't do 'magic.' Your old steering wheel had to have that function on it too. This just connects your car's wiring into the proper location on the plug.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Be.../283927720451?

 

Oh man, you know they're good when they sell for 3 or 4 times over the price of a pristine original. Here's a MB 190SL restomod done ever so tastefully using a first-generation Lexus V-8 engine and 5spd manual transmission. 4.6 seconds 0-60 VS 11.2s with the 1.9L 4-banger. 3200rpm at 80mph VS 5000rpm. As a 190SL owner stated, "They're great cars at 50mph but extremely tiring at 70."
https://mbworld.org/articles/lexus-v...ercedes-190sl/

The only thing it needs to be perfect is A/C. Compared to what's already been done that doesn't seem like a daunting task.