Tuner Tuesday: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 300CE Twin Turbo AMG

Potential is something that often goes unrealized. In the car world, that means that even though you select the right ingredients, the potential of a great recipe is sometimes led off track by poor execution. The delicate balance between tasteful and tacky was tread upon far too often in the 1980s, but even today that line continues to be stepped over. It would seem that tuners, as Charlie Murphy once memorably said, are “habitual line steppers”. On paper, a turbocharged W124 with AMG body styling and some wicked AMG OZ wheels would be perfect, even if presented in too-typically 80s “Charlie Sheen White”. But then take a look at this W124, and there are a few details that will probably leave you shaking your head…

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 300CE Twin Turbo on eBay

Year: 1988
Model: 300CE
Engine: 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged inline-6
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 73,200mi
Price: $18,990 Buy It Now

HERE IS A RARE ONE OF A KIND MERCEDE BENZ 300CE AMG KIR WITH TWIN TURBO MOSSELMAN TWIN TURBO KIT . BEAUTIFUL ARCTIC WHITE EXTERIOR WITH A TAN LEATHER INTERIOR BOTH IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. YOU WILL NOT SEE ANOTHER ONE. THIS ONE HAS PLENTY OF POWER WITH THE NORMAL LUXURY FEATURES THAT COME STANDARD IN THE 300CE EDITION. THE TAN LEATHER INTERIOR IS LIKE NEW AND HAS GORGEOUS WOOD VENEER TRIM. EVERYTHING WORKS AS IT SHOULD. RUNS PERFECTLY AND NEEDS NOTHING. BUY IT AND TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LOCAL SHOW. CALL FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION AT 954 599 3911 MARK THIS IS A SERIOUS EBAY OFFERING FOR SERIOUS BUYERS. WE DO RESERVE THE RIGHT TO END THE AUCTION EARLY IF SOLD BEFORE IT ENDS . CALL WITH ANY SOLID OFFERS OR BUY IT NOW

THIS CAR MAY NOT MAKE IT TO THE END AND WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO END THE THE LISTING EARLY.

WE DO CHECK THE VALIDITY OF ALL THE BIDDERS USER INFORMATION

7 DAY BUY IT NOW OR MAKE OFFER FORMAT. this is a serious eBay OFFERING FOR serious buyers only.

FOR BUY IT NOW call MARK AT 954 599 3911

First is the budget Turbo kit with no details behind its installment, power output, or longevity. I’d presume that since it appears the Mosselman runs stock CIS injection, the pressure generated from the two turbos must be fairly low; at least in Audi circles, CIS tends to be the limiting factor on how much power the early turbo units can produce. Then there’s the W126-inspired nose, which manages to look worse than the first 3 of Michael Jackson’s nose jobs. It’s a shame, because from the side, the car looks generally pretty good; I like the rear treatment on the AMG kit even if the rockers are a bit overdone. But the wheels have a bit too much lip and look a little out of place, as does the plain interior. Compared to the 560SEC AMG I wrote up a few weeks ago, this really does look like an imposter in the AMG world. That said, are the right ingredients here? You could re-lip the wheels and back down the size, you could fix the nose, and perhaps paint the car a different color. You could remove the turbo system and swap a V8 into that engine bay instead, I would suppose. But at nearly $19,000 asking price, I guess I’d probably pass on this particular example. For my liking it would take too much undoing to make it what I wanted.

-Carter