Widebody Madness

Welcome to BeezeBuildz! We’re having a bit of fun with a 1989 Mercedes 190E we saved from the junkyard. This thing has a salvage title, almost a million miles on it, and looks like it’s lived through some battles. But hey, that’s exactly why we’re using it to practice before tackling our big project: a widebody kit on a Bentley Continental GT.

Let’s get into how we slapped this kit on, threw on a massive wing, and what we learned along the way!

Why the 190E?

So why sink money into a beat-up 190E, you ask? Simple: practice makes perfect. The widebody kit for the Bentley costs a whopping $7,000 (plus $1,500 shipping). That’s not something you want to mess up. Meanwhile, the kit for the Mercedes? A mere $1,300 shipped and the car cost us $500. We figured, why not learn some lessons on this $2,000 build before we get to the big leagues?

• The Plan: Test out widebody installation on the 190E, make our mistakes here, and be pros when we get to the Bentley.
• Cost comparison: $2,000 for the Mercedes build vs. $8,500 just for the Bentley kit and shipping. Easy choice!

Fitting the Widebody Kit

Now, the widebody kit wasn’t exactly a “plug-and-play” situation. It’s a bolt-on kit, but the car itself wasn’t designed for it, so there was a lot of trial and error. There’s no hardware or instructions provided, so we had to get creative with how we attached the panels.

• Test fitting: We mocked it up using self-tapping screws. Once everything was aligned, we drilled proper holes and inserted rivet nuts for a clean, removable installation.
• Pro tip: Always start your screws from the bottom and work your way up to avoid pushing the body lines out of place. We learned this the hard way, but hey, that’s why we’re practicing!

The Wing: Pure Overkill

Next up: the obnoxiously large wing. And when I say large, I mean this thing is bigger than your average dining table. It’s so ridiculous, it’s awesome! Steve and I bolted it on, and instantly, the car looked like it was ready to fly.

• Installation tip: We used double-sided tape along with bolts because, let’s be real, this thing needs all the stability it can get.
• The verdict: Pure downforce fantasy. But does it look cool? Absolutely.

Let’s Talk Wheels…or Not

We thought we’d see if the 15-inch wheels we had lying around would work. Spoiler alert: they didn’t. These wheels were so ugly they looked like they came from a Walmart parking lot in the ’90s. Plus, they didn’t fit. So, back to the drawing board on wheels, but hey, we’ll get it sorted soon.

Final Thoughts: The Road Ahead

This widebody 190E is shaping up to be a fun and cheap build. We’re learning a ton, and by the time we tackle the Bentley Continental GT, we’ll be ready to do it right. Thanks for hanging out with us during this crazy project! Stay tuned.