Shooting Brake: Mercedes S-Class converted into a station wagon coupe

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• This man drives the weirdest S-Class in the world
• This W126 is absolutely exotic
• The first owner was a Japanese artist

This man drives the weirdest S-Class in the world

Probably the weirdest S-Class of all time: Fred Oehmke and his 500 SEL Shooting Brake

Source: Peer Ole Hansen / Rosier Classic Stars

Fred Oehmke from Berlin drives a 500 SEL Shooting Brake. The S-Class, which was converted into a station wagon coupe in the 80s, is unique. What designer legend Bruno Sacco would say about the renovation?

Genial throw or wicked sacrilege? Many people ask themselves this question when they see Fred Oehmke’s China blue Mercedes W126. The series drawn by legendary designer Bruno Sacco is considered to be one of, if not the most beautiful S-Class of all.

But in the body lines of Oehmke’s luxury sled Radical – some say in an unheard-of way – intervened: The Berliner recently started driving a 500 SEL Shooting Brake. Mercedes connoisseurs frown? Shooting what?

“Yes,” says Fred Oehmke proudly, “that is probably one of a kind.” The 56-year-old owns some special Mercedes classics, including a 560 SE from the 126 series. But his newly acquired Shooting Brake really stands out from his collection.

Even in the Rosier Classic Sterne salesroom in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, the Shooting Brake caused great frowns among the audience

Source: Peer Ole Hansen / Rosier Classic Stars

In 1981 the 500 SEL rolled off the production line and was first registered in Japan. In Osaka, the car initially rolled the streets as a luxury limousine for a few years. Then the first owner – an apparently quite extroverted stone sculptor – decided to have the car converted into a bizarre station wagon coupe.

The surgical intervention on the stern was successful, thinks Oehmke. The classic notchback turned into a boldly curved combination rear end.

At Techno Classica 2018 in Essen, the world’s largest classic car-At the trade fair, the Berliner presented the car to a larger audience for the first time and was even able to exhibit his converted 500 SEL at the official Mercedes stand: “The public’s reactions were amazing,” he remembers. "Unbelievable!"

This W126 is absolutely exotic

The upper class 126 series was produced for twelve years (1979 to 1991), not an S-class from Mercedes has always been more successful. But only sedans (as SE or SEL) and the Coupe SEC (C126) rolled off the assembly line. Nevertheless, there have always been S-Class drivers who wanted a combination version of the luxury sled.

The W116 series and then its successor, the W126, were subsequently converted into a station wagon by specialist companies, with the hatchbacks initially coming from the W123 T model and later from the 124 T..

As a shooting brake, however, the W126 is absolutely exotic. The body variant has a very long tradition. Shooting brakes were already being built in the 1960s: elegant, but also somehow sloping hatchback coupes, which with their tailgate are more reminiscent of a station wagon.

Have you ever seen an S-Class with roof rails? As a station wagon coupe, Oehmke’s S-Class is unique

Source: Fred Oehmke

One of the best-selling models of this type was the Reliant Scimitar GTE. The British station wagon coupe came onto the market in 1968. Volvos P 1800 ES (nickname Snow White’s Coffin), Lotus Elite II or Lancia Beta HPE are also early representatives.

A few years ago the Shooting Brake experienced a revival. At Mercedes-Benz, there has only been something similar in series production since 2011 with the CLS. "A design language that leaves you speechless," is how the manufacturer advertises the luxury coupe.

Fred Oehmke was also speechless when he discovered the 126 Shooting Brake at Rosier Classic Sterne, a large Mercedes dealer from northern Germany. The Berliner was shocked less by the body shape than by the flashy color combination of the classic car.

The first owner was a Japanese artist

China blue paint, red leather seats: "I would never actually buy such a weird color combination," says Oehmke, who works in the telecommunications industry.

You have to know that the father of the family has a very special passion for collecting: Oehmke prefers Mercedes classics in nautical blue (color code 929) in combination with beige interiors. With the Shooting Brake from Japan (931) he made an exception. His wife, who works in the fashion industry, persuaded him to buy the bizarre automobile.

The 500 SEL left the production line in 1981 in the original dark blue color. The first owner was the artist from Osaka, who initially drove the long version of the S-Class ex works for a few years. From 1984 to mid / late 1985, it was converted to a Shooting Brake – including the color changes.

China blue paint, red interior: the Japanese first owner had quite unusual taste ideas

Source: Peer Ole Hansen / Rosier Classic Stars

New owner Oehmke himself does not know exactly what might have induced the stone sculptor to undertake the adventurous operation. As a mechanical engineer, he is primarily interested in professional execution. "And it is technically fantastic."

At the beginning of May 2018, Fred Oehmke wants to present his extraordinary old Benz to the public again: at the old-timer rally Bodensee-Klassik. From Berlin to the border triangle – quite a long distance.

But under the large, glass tailgate of his Shooting Brake, there is plenty of luggage and provisions. Theoretically, the installation of a roof box would be conceivable. As a station wagon coupe, the bizarre S-Class even has roof rails.

Large flap with seasonal registration: In the future, the exotic will only be moved in summer so that the rust-free body remains rust-free

Source: Fred Oehmke

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