Reprinted from The Robb Report Collection, February, 2004
This Sprinter conversion wraps luxury around utility
to deliver a family-sized travel cruiser.
Credit Howard Becker for thinking inside the box to meet
the challenge from a client for a sumptuous yet functional
long-distance family hauler. The foundation of Becker's nine-passenger
travel wagon was the Dodge Sprinter, as XXL-size commercial
van only recently imported into this country but sold worldwide
bearing Mercedes-Benz badges since 1995.
The
Sprinter conversion represents the latest stage in the evolutionary
growth of Becker Automotive Design that began in the late '70s
with the design and installation of sophisticated automotive
audio systems for the cars of Hollywood stars. When the world's
top entertainers began driving SUVs, Becker expanded his creative
efforts by offering luxurious interior and exterior appointments
to surround his custom sound systems. In 1998, Becker Automotive
Design separated itself from the herd of aftermarket SUV customizers
with a Suburban designated for actor Will Smith. It began the
trend for urban cruisers that offered the privacy of an opulently
upholstered interior crammed with studio-quality multimedia
equipment.
To prove his company was more than a one-trick pony performing
only for Hollywood glitterati, Becker moved forward by combining
his appreciation for the expanding applications of mobile wireless
technology with inspiration sparked by the latest trends in
executive jet interior design. He built vehicles aimed at the
new breed of road warriors, the busy executives who could appreciate
that saving time was the biggest luxury of all. Becker turned
Ford's Excursion and full-sized passenger vans, which provided
ample interior space and heavy-duty carrying capacity, into
lavishly furnished mobile offices with multimedia computer systems,
Internet capabilities, and video conferencing to go. The scheduled
2004 demise of the huge SUV and cloudy future of the full-size
vans prompted Becker to seek alternatives, a search that ended
with the Sprinter, which, in addition to being taller and longer,
had the cachet of being a Mercedes-Benz. This is where Al Parish
enters the story.
Parish is an economist and college professor in Charleston,
S.C., who was looking for a comfortable way to haul his family
on vacation trips and weekend outings. He and his wife have
four children, ages 7, 4, and 8-month-old twins. Their travel
companions also include his mother-in-law and nanny, plus assorted
strollers, car seats, and other child-rearing necessities. The
arrival of the twins has obsoleted his seven-passenger minivan.
He considered a stock Excursion but ruled it out, based on the
awkward procedure required to strap in four small children.
Parish, whose daily driver is a Jaguar XKR roadster, wanted
his family vehicle also to be a bit more special, so he turned
to Howard Becker for ideas for a conversion vehicle.
"We like the Sprinter because it offers us the versatility
to meet different customer needs and we can send it to customers
around the world," Becker says of the utilitarian vehicle
that can be ordered in three wheelbase lengths (118, 140,
and 158 inches) plus two roofs heights offering either 64.3
or 73 inches of interior standing room. The Sprinter can be
ordered with windows and seats a la an airport shuttle or
as a windowless cargo carrier. Cargo and people easily enter
through a nearly 3.5-foot-wide sliding side doors or two rear
doors that swing back 270 degrees to the sides of the van.
All U.S. Sprinters are powered by a Mercedes-Benz 2.7-liter,
5-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine. The
engine features the latest in common-rail direct injection
and produces 154 hp at 3,800 rpm and 243 ft lbs of torque
at 1,600 rpm for decent acceleration (zero to 60 mph in 13.1
seconds) considering the base curb weight of 5,186 pounds.
The transmission is a 5-speed automatic that also allows manual
gear selection.
What made Parish decide to become Becker's first Sprinter
conversion client was the generous access through the side
door and capability to stand while buckling in his kids. The
diesel powerplant's nearly maintenance-and clatter-free operation
while delivering fuel mileage more than twice that of a gasoline
unit was another big plus.
Becker also had a number of reasons to be excited about the
project as his client was. The Sprinter has an independent front
suspension with a tried-and-true rigid axel supported by leaf
springs at the rear. Becker feels that this gives the Sprinter
a better ride and better handling that the Ford and GM vehicles
he has used. The Sprinter is also more easily adapted to an
independent rear suspension to further enhance ride comfort
for limousine applications. All-wheel-drive versions of the
Sprinter are available in Europe, and Becker
says grafting on the necessary components could also be easily
done for those customers willing to pay (about $20,000) for
the added traction. Speaking of traction, the Sprinter comes
standard-equipped with the Mercedes Electronic Stability Program
(ESP) antiskid control and computerized traction control (ASR)
as well as ABS braking.
Despite coming fully equipped with the above features plus
amenities such as power steering and cruise control, the Sprinter
remains basically a big, tall, empty box on wheels, something
that gives the normally exuberant Becker a shiver of doubt
upon first seeing it sitting au naturel in front of his 40-employee,
18,000 square-foot shop north of Los Angeles.
"When it arrived in the raw, I though, 'Oh God, what
did I just get here!'" he recalls.
Closer inspection of the sliding door also put a few dings
in his mettle. The door was heavy and awkward to close, especially
from the inside. Parish's major stipulation was that this
door be easy to use because he and his wife would usually
have their hands occupied loading or unloading the children.
Becker's solution was to reengineer the remote control power
unit from a Ford minivan for smooth, hands-free operation.
For the interior, Becker selected buttery-soft European leather,
bird's eye maple, Berber-style carpeting, and an Italian suede
headliner for a rich but family-oriented environment that
is light and airy. Parish opted for a seating arrangement
that features a pair of custom-made, leather-covered, seven-way
power-adjustable bucket seats for the first three rows with
a six-way power-adjustable couch along the rear that slides
forward for additional cargo space. The front seats include
a cooling ventilation system, and Becker designed back massagers
with a stimulating yet soothing alternation pulse pattern.
For the second-row buckets normally occupied by the twins,
Becker adapted the built-in child restraint harnesses from
a Chrysler minivan for added security.
Becker's fondness for aircraft-inspired touches shows in
foldaway side tables at each rear seat and LED-based, ceiling
mounted reading lamps. Sixteen feet of high-intensity white
LED strip lighting along the edge of the ceiling provides
striking but gentle-to-the-eyes interior illumination. Becker
equates the effect to a Close Encounters of the Third Kind
experience the first time you open the doors at night. Parish
calls it "white sunshine."
Of course, no Becker vehicle is complete without a superb
and ingeniously designed entertainment system. For openers,
the Parish Sprinter has a 20-inch retractable video monitor,
six-disc DVD changer, VCR, and PlayStation game console. Sound
comes with a 570-watt 14-speaker arrangement with Dolby Digital
5.1 processor, 10-channel parametric equalizer, and satellite
radio receiver. A touchscreen navigation system includes a
monitor with integrated rearview camera. There is also a PC
and wireless Internet compatibility plus an auxiliary AC electrical
system.
Becker says the exterior offered a bigger challenge than
the interior. The Sprinter received a sporty face-lift with
the addition of a front spoiler, a three-pointed star grille,
fog and driving lights, and new bumpers. The bright blue paint
scheme with silver accents adds flair and diminishes the van's
tall, boxy silhouette.
Parish is delighted with the vehicle's handling and reports
that although he avoids cramped downtown streets and low-cling
parking garages, the Sprinter has been a delight to drive
in his first 7,500 miles of ownership. He raves about the
diesel engine's highway performance and light appetite for
fuel that returned 26 mpg on a Florida trip.
Becker Automotive Design has a number of floor plans and interior
configurations designed for the Sprinter, as well as an armor
protection program. Starting with the basic Sprinter that retails
for about $35,000, Becker says conversions can range from $100,000
to $250,000, depending on materials and accessories.
The
Sprinter conversion represents the latest stage in the evolutionary
growth of Becker Automotive Design that began in the late '70s
with the design and installation of sophisticated automotive
audio systems for the cars of Hollywood stars. When the world's
top entertainers began driving SUVs, Becker expanded his creative
efforts by offering luxurious interior and exterior appointments
to surround his custom sound systems. In 1998, Becker Automotive
Design separated itself from the herd of aftermarket SUV customizers
with a Suburban designated for actor Will Smith. It began the
trend for urban cruisers that offered the privacy of an opulently
upholstered interior crammed with studio-quality multimedia
equipment. 
The
arrival of the twins has obsoleted his seven-passenger minivan.
He considered a stock Excursion but ruled it out, based on the
awkward procedure required to strap in four small children.
Parish, whose daily driver is a Jaguar XKR roadster, wanted
his family vehicle also to be a bit more special, so he turned
to Howard Becker for ideas for a conversion vehicle. 
Becker
says grafting on the necessary components could also be easily
done for those customers willing to pay (about $20,000) for
the added traction. Speaking of traction, the Sprinter comes
standard-equipped with the Mercedes Electronic Stability Program
(ESP) antiskid control and computerized traction control (ASR)
as well as ABS braking. 
