One stark exception was Koenig-Specials: In 1993 they unveiled their final crazy design based on the new-for-1993 V12-powered C140 model Mercedes-Benz 600SEC, later called S600C and CL600 respectively, and showed they were in somewhat denial of the 1990s reality. The KS600C as the full-package car was called, which apart from bodykit and wheels could include a much uprated V12 engine which now had a displacement of 7.2 litres and 550BHP power output, was most certainly extreme in many ways. The styling was a bit Ferrari, a bit F40 and a bit streakless Testarossa, something Koenig already used on other cars like the Ferrari based Testarossa Competition and F48, but also the 1991 BMW 850i (E31) based Koenig-Specials KS8. Especially the design of the latter seems to have been hauled over to the new Mercedes Coupe with most details very similar.

 

 

 

 

 

The bodykit design can be broken down in parts and design origins:

• The front bumper clearly shows the design of the original Koenig Mercedes Coupe, the Vittorio Strosek designed piece for the C126 (1984), but without the wide air intake.
• The sudden stop of the front 3/4 panel in front of the doors is something that was first seen on the Testarossa Competition and with the Koenig Mercedes SL (R129) this was first used on a non-Ferrari model. This part looks as if it has air-vents but it's actually closed.
• The fake side airintakes are giving the Koenig C140 it's look and as with most Koenig-Specials creations it seems to have drawn inspiration from Ferrari. Basically an evolution of the streakless Testarossa designs from Vittorio Strosek (Testarossa BiTurbo) and first seen on the second generation C126. The air intakes evolve into the super wide fender flares.
• The rear end of the car sports a very big three-piece Ferrari F40 style wing. Smaller than the Ferrari F40 piece (or the Koenig Ferrari wings), but still very much the main focus if you see the car for the first time.
• The fat fender flares hide the huge multipiece OZ-Futura 18" rims with 245 and 335 width tires.

Engine options for the Koenig C140 ranged from stock 5 litre V8 and 6 litre V12 to an huge engine displacement version for the V12 in the form of a 7.2 litre, 520BHP engine. Turbo options were also offered.

 

 

The fact that the actual widebody Koenig-Specials C140 was rarely seen shows very clearly the time for crazy cars like this was in the past. Compared to the original S-class coupe widebody, the Koenig C126, the contrast in production numbers is very stark: against the hundreds C126s that Koenig made as complete car and as a kit, the small number (less than 10 or 20?) of C140 widebodies is telling. Known cars were built for customers (sometimes locally made) in Japan, Bulgaria and Russia and possibly elsewhere.

 

Various Koenig C140s went through stages of modification. One car in Russia, a black 7.2 520bhp version, which was for sale in Russia in the late 90s/early 2000s, was extensively modified by a Russian company called Deep Rising; the body was re-designed with extra wings, streaks and inlets as well as a new custom red/black interior that was installed which included a high-end stereo system.

 

 

 

Slightly out of scope, but especially noteworthy: a 4-door W140 S-class built by a Japanese shop named Car Fashion Kyowa Planning  from Moriguchi (Osaka), which specialized in installing widebody kits from Koenig-Specials, ABC-Exclusive and AMG. Kyowa Planning had previously shown a white Koenig CL500n (C140) with a Koenig-Specials kit at the 1996 Tokyo Autosalon but opted to design a similarly inspired kit for the 4-door versions of the Mercedes-Benz W140 S-class. The bodykit had the same widebody design as the koenig but used different front- and rear bumpers. The kit was shown at the 1998 Tokyo Autosalon in black and it seems at least two cars were fitted with this bodykit (a white and black one).

 

 

 

Koenig-Specials also offered a narrow version of the C140 Coupe; it sported the same front and rear bumpers but obviously lacked the wide fender flares.