We were in 1980. The world had just come out of the "hangover" of the 1973 oil crisis and was already heading towards another period of economic expansion. Around here, it was the usual story. Guess what...
Exactly… we were in crisis! We still hadn't recovered from the first Troika rescue in 1977 and we were already on our way to a second rescue, which ended up taking place in 1983. But let's get to the cars, because sadness doesn't pay debts.
With the European economy booming, tuning began to take its first consistent steps as an organized and profitable activity. Tuning in high-performance cars was already common, but not so much in everyday cars.
the first steps
The example we bring you today is a “fossil” of the early days of modern tuning – because “tuning” in the true sense of the word dates back much further to the 1980s. We are talking about the Mercedes-Benz 280TE (W123) prepared by Zender.
The objective of this company was to offer the habitability of a van, the comfort of a luxury saloon and the performance of a sports car. All in one model.
The exterior of the Zender 280 TE was relatively unobtrusive. The modifications only concerned the bumpers, special BBS wheels, lowered suspension and little else. The end result was a sportier, more modern and less classic look.
shocking interior
The exaggeration that marked the tuning movement in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s made school inside the Zender 280TE.
The interior was entirely lined with blue Alcantara, from the seats to the instrument panel, without forgetting the roof. Even the floor of the car was finished in blue wool.
The original seats were replaced by two Recaro seats. The original steering wheel also gave way to a sportier one. But the highlights weren't even these items…
Hi-fi sound systems and mobile phones were the most successful items in the 1980s, as they were exotic and rare. With that in mind, Zender has reworked the entire W123 center console to accommodate a high-end sound system Uher HiFi Stereo. With USB input (joke…).
As if this festival of sound and color wasn't enough, Zonder swapped the glove box for a mini-fridge.
As it still happens today, a tuning project is only complete with a few mechanical changes. In this regard, Zender used the services of a preparer that was growing fast. It had about 40 employees… we are talking about AMG. Thanks to AMG components this Zender 280TE was able to develop 215 hp of power. A model that stood out for its difference and price: 100,000 German Marks.
In comparative terms, the same original Mercedes-Benz cost 30,000 Deutsche Marks at the time. In other words, with the money from the Zender 280TE you could buy three “normal” models and still have some “changes”.