AMG Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.8 Replica Project

In 2006 I started participating in historic racing in South Africa with a 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S Fintail which was great fun. I had a dream to build a replica of the AMG Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.8 'Rote Sau' to race in historic racing, and in late 2010 I managed to find the right car to begin the project.

Cars are my hobby and the one thing that I was adamant about from the start was that this project was going to be fun and not another stress factor, therefore no time line was set for completion and the project would be worked on as time allowed. The result is a project that has taken a number of years, but it has been tremendous fun and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

The project started out to build a presentable race car that could be raced in anger, but over time this has evolved into a high-quality restoration.

2011

Finding a car, sourcing wheel rims and seats, wheel rim modification, fitting seats

2012

Setting the ride height, fitting the roll cage, modifying the wheel arches

2013

Engine out, manual gearbox conversion, front sub-frame rebuild

2014

Engine installation, clutch hydraulics, gear shift mechanism, spot light mountings, radiator modification, diff out

2015

Rear drive train overhaul, brake system upgrade, brake cooling ducting, coolant fan

2016

Shock absorbers, track test, fuel injection overhaul, battery relocation, bonnet straps, brake pedal modification

2017

Weight saving modifications, under-bonnet cooling, fuel tank, battery cut-out switch

2018

Wiring loom overhaul, paint, assembly, decals

2019

Assembly windows, dashboard, door panels, seats, fuel tank, engine components, engine machining

2020

Pedal box modification, engine assembly, clutch slave cylinder, fuel tank, engine and gearbox installation