2002 Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport Coupe - It Teakes A Village

2002 Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport Coupe

Layout
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive

Engine
2.3-liter inline four, dohc, four valves per cylinder, supercharged and intercooled, Brabus exhaust, Kleemann pulley and software, RENNtech intercooler, Supersprint header

Suspension
H&R coilovers, AMG anti-roll bars

Brakes
Topline Porsche 996 and 993 brake kits

Wheels and Tires
DCR Catalunya, 10x19 (f)12.5x19 (r)
Continental Sport Contact2,265/30-19 (f)315/25-19 (r)

Exterior
Brabus front and rear bumper lips, Kineda carbon-fiber grille insert and rear spoiler, European foglamps and bi-xenon headlamps, Kineda carbon-fiber grille, E55 side markers, custom widebody conversion, custom Titanium Gunmetal Metallic Blue paint

Interior
Brabus shift knob, Recaro Pole Position seats, Kineda silver carbon-fiber trim and silver carbon-fiber steering wheel treatment

Audio
Brax and SPL amplifiers, a/d/s/ speakers and subwoofers, custom kickpods with floating tweeters, custom subwoofer/amp enclosure

Adding a Little Flare
To beef up the rear end of this C230K, Terry Ng wanted fender flares-but not the cheesy ones you can add on. These modifications were completed using the existing metal, without any fiberglass parts. Interested? Well, OK, we'll give you the simple breakdown.

The rear and front quarter panels were cut straight down the middle and flared 2.5 inches, then reunited using sheetmetal and welding. The customized pieces were then smoothed out and given an expert finish, so the end product was something very factory. The work is impressive and, except for the widebody appearance, the quarter panels look untouched.

According to Ng, it's "what the car should've looked like straight from the Mercedes-Benz factory. They would have sold a lot more of these had they created the coupe this way." We agree. -B.M.B