Continuing our previous article dedicated to a small privately owned European car collection from Bangkok, Thailand, we’re taking an in-depth look at the custom 1980 Mercedes C123 owned and modified by Chet Sriprawatkun.
Being a long-term fan of European cars of the 80s and 90s, he’s always had a soft spot for the Mercedes W123 body style, and formed his own vision of a perfect C123 Coupe build. As soon as he managed to find a proper example for his project, the modification process began.
Custom Build
Being a car guy with sophisticated taste and a creative mind, he’s always looking for something different and doesn’t mind it to be challenging, so no compromises on parts selection were made while putting this car together. Like many of us, the main things that he was focused on were the clean look and low stance, but the performance wasn’t overlooked either.
Engine Swap
To restore the reliability of his C123 and make it more agile on the road it was decided to swap a Mercedes M104 320 engine commonly found in premium mercedes models like the W124 E-Class, R129 SL and even the W140 S-Class.
The car was painted in a stylish white color with the addition of AMG striping which looks perfectly period-correct.
AMG Exterior
Continuing the exterior theme you can notice an AMG front bumper spoiler, along with the side skirts and the rear lip. The original 80s-design Zender spoiler sits on top of the trunk finishing off the sporty looks of this Benz.
Air Suspension
As you may have guessed from the extremely low clearance, this Mercedes C123 sits on a FeelAir air suspension and wide set of staggered custom spec AMG wheels sized 16×8 up front and 16×10 on the back.
Inside is a fully refreshed blue leather AMG interior with a stylish 4-spoke steering wheel, and classy Recaro seats with adjustable side supports.
List of Modifications
Engine
- M104 320 Engine Swap
Suspension
- Air suspension FeelAir
Rims and Tires
- AMG 16″ rims
- Front 16×8 et+11
- Rear 16×10 et-12.7
Exterior modifications
- AMG front lip
- AMG side skirt
- AMG rear skirt
- Zender heckspoiler
- Custom pinstriping
- New Headlights and taillights
Interior modifications
- AMG steering wheel
- Recaro classic seats
Conclusion
The M104 swap takes this C123 from classic cruiser to proper performer, while the AMG bodykit and those wide AMG wheels nail the period-correct look. The air suspension lets it sit dramatically low when parked, but can lift for actual driving, showing this isn’t just for show. What makes this build special is how everything works together – from the clean engine bay to that blue leather interior with Recaros, it’s clear Chet built the dream W123 that any Mercedes fan would love to own.
| Parts Category | Difficulty Rating* |
|---|---|
| Suspension Mods: | 8/10 |
| Performance Mods: | 4/10 |
| Exterior Mods: | 7/10 |
| Interior Mods: | 5/10 |
* Based on our build difficulty evaluation system ⓘ
This C123 goes hard on the stance game – that FeelAir setup alone brings 8 points, letting it slam to the ground or ride high when needed. Chet went all-in on the classic AMG look with lips and skirts all around plus that sweet Zender spoiler, scoring 7 points on the exterior.
Watch the progress and find out more about this Mercedes C123 project by visiting the Instagram profile of the owner: @coronamafia!
Photos: @stancecarpixs
Stay tuned for more project reviews on Specs&Mods.com – Follow us on social media, and share this write-up if you enjoyed reading it!
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