The modern cars are much better than old cars in terms of technology and comfort and… but in terms of style, something that you can enjoy just looking at, we’re definitely going backwards!

I mean just check out this Mercedes Pagoda and compare it to a brand-new SL or SLK.

Of course this particular Pagoda is a modern take on the classic model by Gullwing America. GWA is a tuner who likes doing crazy things with different Mercedes cars! A while ago they made a replica of the C111 concept.

The idea behind this car is to make a race car for the Carrera Panamericana. While the looks of the Pagoda is perfect for this purpose, given the history of the car, the technicalities had to be changed in order to cope with modern world’s demands! So underneath the skin, it is actually a Mercedes 190 2.3 16V with the same wheelbase as the type W-121. The result of this efforts were so amazing that GWA decided to turn it into a retro street car.

Inside the car you get the original Recaro seats from the 16V model, but it also has some modern elements like a new steering wheel, and carbon fiber details to the dashboard and the top of the door panels.

The modern Pagoda also gets GWA Type C 17-inch staggered one-piece wheel and coilover suspension for good handling. The looks of the car does not remain exactly original, but the changes are great and make the car look much cooler. It gets various custom body parts plus custom designed exhaust system with dual tips, HID headlights from the W210 Mercedes, and LED/ DRL lights on the bottom of the hood.

GWA says the modern Pagoda has 200HP, a five speed transmission and disk brakes. But they don’t mention the price of this awesome machine. I’ve started out saving anyway!