1952 Mercedes with a LS3

This 1952 Mercedes 170 S is owned by Mark Gooden and was built by Samson Design in Marshall, Missouri. The project took four years to complete but was worth the wait. The car took home a Great 8 award at the 2016 Detroit Autorama.

Samson Design wanted to keep the wonderful Mercedes body lines intact so most of the body mods are subtle. To start with the roof was wedge-cut 2 inches and the grill was leaned back 1 inch. Then the fenders were all hand made and molded into the running boards.

The car rides on a custom chassis built by Samson Design. The suspension is a Heidts front and rear independent with QA1 adjustable coilovers.

Probably the most polarizing change is the power plant. The owner decided to go with a 6.2 L LS3 V8. Since there was so little room in the front of the engine bay the engine needed to be moved back 10 inches. This of course required a new firewall and dash be made.

The rest of the drivetrain consists of a Turbo 400 three-speed automatic transmission connected to a narrowed Chevy 10 bolt rear end.

Source: Samson Design FB page