SGS

SGS, also known as Styling Garage, were founded in 1979 by Ralph Engel and Christian Hahn, and were based in Pinneberg, a small town near to Hamburg, Germany. SGS, along with main competitors Buchmann, catered soley for the Eighties tuning craze, fuelled by the booming stock market. Many of SGS's business originated from the Middle East, and the company specialised in extensive coachwork modifications to premium models, such as the Porsche 928 and Mercedes 500 SEC.

The company has a tempestrous history - after internal disagreements over the company's direction, co-founder Engel left in the early years, and Hahn was left to move the company forward by himself. After a few successful years, SGS again found itself on rocky ground in 1986, when many of their customers withdrew their investments. The company declared bankruptcy later that year, however managed to turn itself around and relaunch later in the year as Design+Technik. SGS were not afraid to try difficult projects - one plan was to create a four-door saloon, based upon a Porsche 928. Hallmarks include very wide wheel-arch bodykits, deep front and rear bumpers, and also thick, chunky side skirts. SGS also began the 'gull-wing' door tuning practice, inspired by the Mercedes SL of the Fifties, along with the trend for deep-dish alloy wheels.

The brand, and its predecessor, are still in use today.

Key Models

 * SGS Royale
 * SGS 928 S4 Gullwing
 * SGS 500SGS
 * SGS 1000SGS
 * SGS Biarritz