RICCI’S GARAGE
Report 19: The Brabus might not be road ready, but it has got some new shoes
“WHILE IT MAY NOT REALLY MOVE, IT DOES NOW HAVE SOME NEW (OLD) AMG PENTA WHEELS”
For the past two weeks I’ve used a bedside lamp to illuminate my shower Not in a sexy way either two of the ceiling lights have gone pop and they’re a bit of a faff to replace So while a ghetto solution exists I figured a better use of my time would be spent building Lego models from Christmas
This is particularly important because
as an adult the window in which you can safely build Lego rapidly declines into questionable browsing history as soon as the festive period is over Unless you can utilise the loophole of having children
Also for the past six months my garage door has refused to lock without it being lifted slightly Rather than try to fix it
I’ve spent many hours working out which household tool would offer the optimum lift versus effort required to lock it For the record that turned out to be a ft axe
Priorities are somewhat skewed in my brain And unsurprisingly this has transferred into the world of cars too The Brabus W bought last year is currently sat awaiting work required to get it roadworthy Namely the engine which once started sounds like an improv jazz drummer being kicked down a flight of stairs
You might also have noticed the lack of numberplates That requires registration something I’ve continually put off despite the fact that every days I have to renew the insurance cover note on it Something which probably takes approximately the same amount of time as it would take for me to fill in the DVLA forms
But what I have done is something much more exciting
Because while it may not really move it does now have some new old AMG Penta wheels tucked under its arches And in the spirit of keeping things authentically Eighties I’ve gone for a set of meaty profile Falken ZE tyres in // fitment There is a time and place for low profile tyres but this isn’t the car for it
Technically these aren’t the right wheels for a Brabus W either AMG Pentas belong on AMGequipped Benzs whereas the Brabus range of tuning always opted for either Ronal early models or ACT facelift models Don’t worry I’ve got that covered though
Rather than replace the key battery in my loved E which now needs manually starting each time I managed to find a set of ACT Mesh wheels on German eBay which should turn up any day now They’ll need refurbishing but it’s dawned on me the boiler is due a service soon So I’ll have plenty of time to orchestrate a diamondcut finish rather than worry about hot water throughout winter
Internationally renowned photographer Mark has been working with TG for many, many years. When not taking photos he’s buying inappropriate cars. Here he shares his addiction with the world