Feature Shoot: 1974 Mercedes-Benz W114

Sometimes a specific car works for two different commissions, and Shafik Sarang's 1974 Mercedes-Benz W114  was one such car. Many months before shooting it for SA Hotrods, I shot it for an online publication - MB World. The car was so neat and clean, and with many out there starting to now buy up and modify old European cars, it made sense to show the SA Hotrods readers something other than American muscle. For this one we took the Merc to a broken down gas station in Lenasia, and it worked pretty well with the old silver car. It turns heads, but it's doesn't really have an extensive modification list. The car is even more special to Shafik as it was his grandfather's car and it's been in the family since 1976, although when he took over ownership it was in need of a fair amount of TLC - the OEM orange paint was wrecked. 

Here's some details found in the published article:

The OEM orange colour wasn’t looking great, so it was removed along with the usual rust found on an old car, but the paint that replaced it was still from the Mercedes stable, you know, just to keep things in the family. His mate Nazeer from The Panel Shoppe was responsible for this sparkling silver paintwork, a top job. While the silver looks good, it’s the wheels that attract a lot of attention. They’re the car’s original wheels, but with a modern twist. Another friend, Zubair at Designer Mags, helped customise the wheels and he did an absolutely insane job. The OEM 14-inch wheels were stepped up and widened, they now measure in at 18-inches in a staggered narrow and wide fitment (an 18-month project!). Together with the custom lowered suspension, the old ‘76er attracts a loads of attention – Shafik can’t really go anywhere without being offered cash for the car – a lot of cash. You can’t put a price on memories though…    

Inside the interior was re-trimmed in white and it gives the Merc a deserved classy look, especially with the polished wooden floors. The dash, steering and pedals are all original, but there is a sound install in the mix thanks to Haroon from Beemer Audio in Lenasia. There’s full Nakamichi system headed up with a 7-inch touch screen with custom pods for the splits and tweeters up front and a pair of 12s in the neat boot install. 

More from this shoot with a sort of desaturated edit...