Moderately powered family sedans with an optical tuning package, That ’80s Show. I had almost forgotten about them, until I caught this duo last year.
Mercedes-Benz models from that decade seemed to be prone to get the full treatment. The all-around body kits of this well-preserved Stuttgarter couple aren’t ridiculously over the top though, the fit and finish is good and the colors are matching. Furthermore, neither of them is powered by a naturally aspirated diesel.
Here’s the 1986 W201, under its hood the 2.0 liter inline-4 gasoline engine, good for 90 (factory) DIN-hp.
The W201, marketed as the 190-series, was introduced in 1982 as a direct BMW 3-series competitor. It’s often referred to as the Baby Benz. From 1982 to 1993, almost 1.9 million of them were built, making it a highly successful Mercedes-Benz model.
From the same year and one more step up the car segmentation-ladder, a W124, the E-Class. This one is also powered by the automaker’s 2.0 liter gasoline engine, yet with 105 DIN-hp.
Overall, all things taken into consideration et cetera, the W124 was the world’s best car of its era. Pretty much all automakers around the globe offered an executive/E-segment car back then, but none of them could touch this. A whopping 2.6 million units of the Mercedes-Benz Baureihe 124 left the factory during its production run from 1984 to 1997.
Meanwhile, aftermarket body kits have gone extinct on anything bigger than C-segment/compact hatchbacks. At least where I live, I must add. Please feel free to elaborate on your local tuning scene and car subcultures, certainly when it involves the unusual suspects. You know, like executive sedans.
Optical tuning package. I like it! Standard equipment here in the US on many GM products, especially Pontiac, even our Daewoo/Opel/Pontiac Kadeem/LeMans. But not uncommon (aftermarket) on 3 Series and W201’s as well.
That era is thankfully over for new/newer executive sedans. Yes, there’s some older ones still around.
That W124 looks rather odd with its add-ons but no big wheels/tires.
I think that W201 is better looking than the factory 190 Cosworth, though it lacks a few horses…
Just wish I could un-see that W124 though.
What’s particularly unusual to me here is that these Optically-tuned Mercedes are… beige. Or whatever non-color you’d call that 190. Usually, these would be all white, or black, or red. Even green, when that was briefly popular. But monochromatic beige?? How odd.
I wish the W124 had matching 5 spoke AMG wheels to complete the look. I like body kits on bigger cars than small, both of these look subdued if not for the rear wing on back, and I think that’s an effect of a larger core body to not get drowned in elaborate kit like a 90s Civic or DSM would.
This pair needs to be a trio though, someone find the 10000 SEL!
Coke-driven C126 by Koenig FTW!
For a minute there, just looking at the thumbnail, I thought somebody had perpetrated upon a ’92-’96 Camry!
Wow!!! You are right Daniel. It really does look like a Camry!!
Boy racer Benz are quite common here as are the BMW equivalents, the lower all the handling out with air suspension and fit go slow body kits, quite useless on our less than smooth highways and around town with all the speed bumps installed just mobile road blocks, but these are now just cheap old cars one step or owner from the wrecking yards.
At first glance, without reading the title, I thought the car on the right was a tricked out ’89 Ford Tempo.
I blocked out the B puller with my finger and your right, it does look like a Tempo!
I thought it was a Dodge Shadow (Plymouth Sundance) with a “go-faster” spoiler and dual fart cans on the single exhaust.
Most if not all the tacky boy racer cars are crashed and in the junkyard by now here in the US Midwest. Today’s kids seem to like big trucks, paint them flat black and put tacky LED lightbars on them. Or again, at least that’s the trend here in the midwest.
Kind of an incomplete job on the W124 without this kit, which actually existed, to make a W124’s front end resemble that of a W123:
Terrible. I don’t know why one would add something to a car that adds nothing to the car.