The German workshop Stern Garage, which restores and sells spare parts for classic Mercedes models from the 1980s onwards, has created the most powerful W124. The Mercedes SG 65 has a 6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine developing 700 PS and 1000 Nm.
Photo: Stern Garage/car capture.de instagram and youtube
For those who can’t get enough of a Mercedes E 500 with a 5-liter V8 and 326 PS/480 Nm or the Mercedes E 60 AMG derivative with a 6-liter V8 and 381 PS/580 Nm known as “The Hammer”, the German workshop Stern Garage offers them an alternative: a Mercedes W124 with a twin-turbo V12 engine developing 700 PS and 1000 Nm.
Stern Garage has modified the 6-litre V12 bi-turbo engine but doesn’t detail how they arrived at this enormous power or what type of gearbox they used. The Mercedes E 500 that underpins the SG65 had a 4-speed automatic gearbox also used in the E 60 AMG. To cope with the higher weight of the V12 engine and the enormous power, the Stern Garage modified the suspension by adopting motorsport elements and fitted 400 mm diameter ceramic brake discs.
The interior has been upgraded with fine materials and two individual seats have been fitted in the rear. Glancing at the speedometer, we see that it has the layout and graduations of the classic model but now indicates up to 400 km/h!
To reduce the car’s weight, the Stern Garage guys have fitted carbon bumpers, side sills, and fenders.
Presumably, this wolf in sheep’s clothing is faster than the E 60 AMG which accelerated from 0-100 kph in 5.6 seconds and hit 295 kph, but Stern Garage isn’t releasing any data or price.
In 1994, the Mercedes 500E cost DM 145,590, while the E 60 AMG approached DM 200,000. Today, an E60 AMG costs around 250-300,000 euros, with only 148 examples produced. Surely the Mercedes SG65 couldn’t be cheaper given its performance and the noble V12 engine under the hood.
Stern Garage has also made some spectacular modifications lately by fitting the 2.3-litre supercharged mechanical compressor version of the M111 engine in a 190E (W201) or the M119 6-litre V8 engine in a W124 (SG60). The same bi-turbo 6.0 liter V12 engine was fitted in the Mercedes S-Class W140 which is a masterpiece of refinement, luxury and power.
