Every man has a dream car, whether it's a simple econobox or a rolling jacuzzi on wheels. And the dream car inspires us to set goals and hopefully attain that car.
For David Lieu the dream was realized with a '99 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor. "I know it's not the best car in the world, but I told myself if I ever become successful, that would be the car I'd roll in," explained David.
The SLK was purchased brand new back in '99, but it wasn't until five years later that he even dared modify it - which is strange considering David's the general manager of M1 Autobody, part of the DTM Autohas empire. If you recall, we've featured several widebody cars from this very shop.
Though he may have waited a few years to get started, when the moment came David decided to overhaul his ride in one go. The car was his daily driver but the major project would decommission his ride for three months for the bodywork alone once he decided to go widebody. "I wanted to enter the show scene and to blow people away, and I thought widening the car and painting it would attract business to the shop. And it has," he noted.
There isn't much of an aftermarket for the SLK, so David designed his own widebody using the AMG kit as an inspiration. The rear quarters were widened 4" on each side in fiberglass, and 3" in the front with molded SL65 fender vents.
To accommodate the extra width, the AMG bumpers and skirts had to be modified. This involved blending them to meet the wider fenders so everything looked factory. The hood was then replaced with a fiberglass boser hood that incorporated a carbon vent. DTM Karbon used its favorite fibers for the canard winglets along the side of the car, as well as the rear diffuser. The shop also fabricated a sleek spoiler, which is molded to the trunk lid.
After all the body mods were complete, the car was sprayed in bright Candy Apple red. "M1 is known for producing great Candy paint jobs, and since red is my favorite color I chose Candy Apple red. It really grabs your attention," said David.