In the beginning there was..... a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL.

The year is 1979; Frédéric Duchatelet has spent the last few years in his bodyshop concentrating on repairing cars but also working on special projects. These 1970s projects mainly involved customizing Porsche 911s to well paying customers wishes. Custom velour interiors, Scheel racing seats, custom wheels, special paintjobs and changing Carreras to Turbo-look with wide fender conversions. Frédéric had already converted over thirty Porsches before he set about his next step; one that would transform the name Duchatelet to a name known world wide...

This next step in the customizing direction of the "Carrosserie Duchatelet" was customizing a Mercedes S-class. The idea for this project was perceived during a trip to Arabian Peninsula when Frédéric Duchatelet talked to an owner of a Rolls-Royce. It was would only be driven in weekends and on special occasions, his daily driver was a Mercedes S-class; a much more reliable and almost perfect car, except it was pretty tame when it came to luxury. So Mr. Duchatelet set to work to give the German sedan a more Rolls-Royce like level of comfort. A then new Mercedes-Benz 450SEL (W116) was chosen as basis the conversion and this perticular car would serve as a prototype for Duchatelet to test systems and techniques and also the see if the idea of a "super luxury S-Class" could stirr interest with potential, well paying customers.

Exterior

This very first Duchatelet Mercedes was a car that had many bespoke options. The exterior of the Duchatelet 450SEL was clearly that of an US-spec W116 S-class with typical American style fat safety bumpers and US-head lights. Might not be the most elegant variant, but when you expect to sell cars to customers in America it makes sense. The paintjob on the car really making the Duchatelet Mercedes stand out from anything standard; a four-tone grey custom job graphic sprayed over a silver basecoat. All chrome trim was blacked-out including the front grille and window trim. Other things that stand out are the split (two sided) sunroof for the rear passengers, the two antennas on the trunk and the TV-aerial on the roof of the car. Wheels are 14 inch Italian rims made by OSCAM.

The Duchatelet 450SEL (W116) photographed somewhere around 1980 in a proper setting. It's clearly based on a US-model S-class with US-headlight and bumpers. The car stands on Italian OSCAM wheels, has a split sunroof for the rear passengers, two antennas on the trunk and a TV-aerial on the roof of the car.

Interior

The interior of the car was modified in many ways and it's the actual reason of existence for this custom Benz; It used the standard seats with the Mercedes anthracite velour upholstery which was the most luxurious upholstery offered by Mercedes back in the late '70s. In between the seats however is an addition that wasn't part of any Mercedes-Benz catalog: a two-part centre console that runs from between the front seats of which the front part acts as both a storage compartment as well as an armrest and runs up to in between the front seat's backrests. Beneath a shoulder high portion of the the centre console between the backs of the front seats (which is of a very similar design as the later "production-version" of the Duchatelet Diamond interior) is where we find a television, stereo, clock and a VCR system. Also available to the rear passengers are two fold-away picnic tables placed in the backs of the front seats. In between the rear passenger seats the centre console continues into a cooled beverage compartment and a storage compartment for the glassed and decanter filled with Cognac or fine Scotch. Curtains all around keep things private in the back and also the sun out in case it's unwanted.

Front part of the interior shows the standard Mercedes-Benz seats with velour upholstery and the front part of the centre console with armrest.

The rear portion of the centre console with TV, radio, cooled beverage compartment and the tray-tables attached to the front seats. A wealth of comfort compared to any factory Mercedes-Benz 450SEL!

After being finished in the Liege workshop, this special Duchatelet S-class was tested with potential customers when it was used at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. Here, in sunny southern France it was where the car was used during the festival to transport VIPs from the airport to the prestigious Carlton Hotel in Cannes. One can only assume that a great many of passengers must have been impressed with the luxury of this far-beyond-standard Duchatelet Mercedes.

The Duchatelet Mercedes 450SEL parked in front of the Carlton Hotel in Cannes during the '79 Cannes Film Festival.

One could argue that this highly customized W116 Mercedes 450SEL was one of very early true "1000SEL-style" conversions; It ticks all the boxes; special exterior with super-luxurious custom interior in an SEL package. It should be mentioned that the 1000SEL-monniker was never officially adopted by Duchatelet. Instead names from the diamond industry like "Clarity", "Cullinan" and "Diamond were to be used from 1981 onwards when the finished product on a W126 500SEL basis was demonstrated by Carat by Duchatelet.

The two years that lie between the building and testing of this "prototype" and the presentation of the finished product is testiment of the time and effort that Carat Duchatelet has invested in their products.... Very likely the reason they still exist more than 45 years after converting their first Star from Stuttgart.

Text: copyright Bram Corts

Special thanks to Carat Duchatelet, Belgium

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