eBay Find of the Day: 1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 Sbarro Gullwing is an eyepopper

1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Sbarro Gullwing Coupe

1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Sbarro Gullwing Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery

Franco Sbarro apparently had a lot of orders for these wide-bodied modern gullwings back in the late ’70s. According to the eBay listing, Sbarro made 28 Gullwing Coupes in total, most based on a two-door chassis with either a naturally-aspirated or twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8.

The car you see before you, however, is among the rarest of these rare supercoupes. It’s based on a four-door 1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 chassis. Apparently one of six built for the new wife of an Arab prince, this car spent part of its life in the hands of an NBA star. (Shocker, we know.)

The custom gullwing doors look more than a little heavy and cumbersome, and must have taken weeks of careful figuring to get right. The details, however, are what really set this car apart. For starters, it’s been updated with chrome 20-inch Giovannas, to make add a contemporary to its bling. Then there’s the original-equipment Sbarro horizontal ‘phantom’ bar grille hiding the big Benz’s stock headlamps and marker lights.

Top all that off with a set of ridiculously-wide fender flares and a lowered roofline, and you have a delicious recipe for 1970s-style excess. The price for all this exclusivity and opulence? The “Buy It Now” option lists $49,995. Thanks for the tip, Csaba!

Gallery: 1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Sbarro Gullwing

1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Sbarro Gullwing front 3.41976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Sbarro Gullwing front1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Sbarro Gullwing side1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Sbarro Gullwing rear 3/41976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Sbarro Gullwing doors

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: 1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 Sbarro Gullwing is an eyepopper originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia bringing KV7 gullwing concept to Detroit

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Crossover, Kia

Gullwing doors… they’re not just for SLS AMG owners or Back to the Future fans anymore. Kia is bringing its KV7 crossover concept to the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, and the ingress/egress on it looks to be pretty simple. This is very clearly just the rendering of the concept vehicle, and we’d bet a pair of DeLorean-themed Nikes that nothing with these doors or interior finish enters production. However, the KV7 could offer some subtle styling clues as to the future of Kia’s crossover design language. We’ll be in a better position to break it all down when we see it up close in Detroit.

Just past the break, you’ll find a brief official statement from Kia on the KV7 concept. Enjoy!

[Source: Kia]

Continue reading Kia bringing KV7 gullwing concept to Detroit

Kia bringing KV7 gullwing concept to Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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