Crazy custom cars of the 1980s

Remember the 1980s? The era of excess, when greed was good and those who had serious wealth showed it off in the most ostentatious way possible. The cars of the era reflected that overblown style – particularly those crazy machines that were personalised to clients’ tastes by a plethora of custom specialists. Here are some of the best (well, worst) examples... get ready for a giggle.

Chameleon Typhoon (1984)

The Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC-based Typhoon showed off everything that was good (read ‘bad’) about the king of vulgarity, Chameleon. The range-topping coupé had the lot: wide-wheelarch bodykit, engine upgrades (such as supercharging) and a retrimmed cabin that boasted a TV and video along with all the latest tech.

Glenfrome 1000 SEL (1984)

Bristol-based Glenfrome based its 1000 SEL on the W126 Mercedes S-Class. The car was 36 inches longer than the standard model, and kitsched up with gold-plated exterior trim and a correspondingly blingy cabin. The Brit-built limo wouldn’t have looked out of place ferrying a drug dealer in TV’s Miami Vice.

Koenig Boxer (1980)

When Willy Koenig wanted his own Ferrari Boxer to be faster and more distinctive looking, he entrusted it to a bunch of tuning and styling specialists. The result was such a success among his similarly well heeled mates, they asked him to do the same for them – and the result was the Koenig Specials customising empire.

Rinspeed 939 (1983)

The 939 was the lovechild of a Porsche 911 Turbo and a 928. Swiss company Rinspeed chose a white-on-white colour scheme for this particular example, but despite such ‘subtlety’ the car hardly fades into the background.

Autocostrizione Salvatore Diomante (1983)

Proof that money doesn’t buy taste. Customised by Italian company Autocostrizione, this Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit-based four-door convertible cost around £200,000 back in the day. Age hasn’t been kind to the Salvatore Diomante…

Hooper Turbo R (1988)

The venerable Hooper name was resurrected in 1988, having last been in use between 1805 and 1959. The company, which had traditionally put special bodies on Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, now offered two-door versions of the Silver Spirit and Turbo R. The cars were quite restrained compared with their more horrific custom counterparts, but you still had to be extremely rich to buy one.

Wood & Pickett Cheltenham 6 (1985)

Because six-wheel drive is better than four, yes? The Arabic numberplate in this publicity image shows the target market of Wood & Pickett’s uber-costly Cheltenham 6 off-roader.

A.E. Smith Hunting Conversion (1984)

A.E. Smith’s Hunting Conversion was perfect for when you fancied lounging in the open air. It wasn’t exactly elegant, but did the job for the hunting classes.

Townley Desert Ranger (1984)

Stretched and widened Townley Desert Ranger was surely the ultimate of ultimate Range Rovers. Are there any still around?