In the 1950s, the legendary US-based Mercedes-Benz importer Max Hoffman suggested that the German automaker build a new model based on its race car for the American market. The 300SL was born with a 3.0-liter straight-six engine on a tubular frame and featured the now iconic gullwing doors. Only 3,258 were built, so it was a rare bird as well as being the fastest production car of its time. Now, around 70 years later, it's even rarer, and modifying one is widely viewed as sacrilege. That hasn't stopped John Sarkisyan from S-Klub, a man famed for his Porsche builds, from taking a coupe and creating a wild open-top restomod complete with a modern supercharged AMG V6 engine swap.

Documenting this incredible piece of work in the video, Sarkisyan explains he started with a raw shell he found. It was essentially just a couple of pieces of bodywork when he started, so it would probably be more accurate to describe this vehicle as a clone as it's built around a 2002 Mercedes AMG SLK 32.

Sarkisyan started by creating renderings of what he wanted and brought in his friend Alan Iwamoto to help make it a reality. This is not their first project based around a 300SL, but it's definitely the one keeping closest to the original spirit of the original. However, they lost the roof, and turned it into a widebody speedster powered by a supercharged AMG V6 engine.

The taillights, badges, and grille come from a 300SL, while the windshield is from a Porsche 911 Speedster. The chassis is mostly fiberglass, while the custom red interior uses five different hides and incorporates a custom 15-inch steering wheel and a Macintosh sound system. Other touches include actuated hoods so they don't need to be opened manually. The SLK bones have been improved on as well, including larger brakes and the wheels wrapped in Toyo tires.

We've only covered the basics here, so it's well worth watching the full video. It's a long one, but it's an incredible watch that brings home the sheer amount of detail and love that has gone into this build.