Custom Sprinters: Conversion Types, Costs and Builders

What is a custom Sprinter?

A custom Sprinter is a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van converted to a specification the buyer sets, rather than bought from a catalogue of finished layouts. The chassis comes from Mercedes-Benz. Everything behind the cab is designed, fabricated and fitted by a conversion manufacturer.

That distinction is the whole subject. Two custom Sprinters can share a chassis and a model year and have nothing else in common.

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis explained

The chassis sets the floor area, the ceiling height and the payload, so it is chosen before anything else. First Class Customs builds on four Sprinter chassis, plus the Metris.

The 3500 XD carries VIP Limousine and VIP Shuttle, the 170 Extended carries Executive Class at 9 or 7 rear passengers, and the 3500 Super Single carries Private Class, Ultimate Class and Weekender.

Types of custom Sprinter conversion

First Class Customs builds eight lines. Each one solves a different problem.

VIP Limousine

VIP Limousine is the group entertainment build. It seats 12 passengers with rear storage, or 14 with limited storage, on a 3500 XD chassis. The cabin is laid out for the journey to be the event rather than the commute between events, which is why operators in the livery and entertainment market specify it.

See the full specification on the VIP Limousine page.

VIP Shuttle

VIP Shuttle seats 13 rear passengers plus a driver and a co-pilot on a 3500 XD. It uses rear stadium seating, a removable conference table, 62,000 BTU of rear air conditioning with separate floor heat, and a full insulation package.

This is the line built for hotel, airport and corporate fleet service, where the vehicle runs all day and has to be comfortable on the twentieth trip as well as the first. The removable conference table is what lets the same vehicle do an airport run in the morning and a working meeting in the afternoon.

See the full specification on the VIP Shuttle page.

Executive Class

Executive Class seats 9 rear passengers on a 3500 170 Extended chassis, or 7 on a 2500 170 Extended. It pairs captain's chairs with a rear bench, and is fitted with front and rear facing smart LED televisions, Alpine R series audio and wireless charging.

This is the corporate travel build, and the one most buyers arrive asking for without knowing its name. The televisions face both ways so the cabin works for a presentation to the rear seats or a briefing to the front pair.

See the full specification on the Executive Class, 7 and 9 passenger page.

Private Class

Private Class is the bespoke executive build, on a 3500 Super Single chassis with air ride suspension. It is built around four McLaren style captain's chairs with either a rear power folding bench or two further captain's chairs, and it carries three fold-out desks.

Those three desks are the detail that matters. They are the difference between a vehicle you can read in and a vehicle three people can actually work in at the same time.

See the full specification on the Private Class page.

Ultimate Class

Ultimate Class is the highest specification First Class Customs builds, on a 3500 Super Single chassis. It uses a curved wall design, which changes the whole feel of the cabin because the eye stops reading it as a box.

Seating follows the same four captain's chair arrangement as Private Class, with a rear power folding bench or two further chairs behind.

See the full specification on the Ultimate Class page.

144 Executive CEO

The 144 Executive CEO is the compact executive build, on a 144 chassis with a standard or raised roof. It exists for the buyer who wants an executive cabin but needs the vehicle to behave like a normal vehicle in a city, a hotel forecourt or a home garage.

See the full specification on the 144 Executive CEO page.

Weekender

Weekender is the travel layout, on a 3500 Super Single chassis, with a rear bathroom. Seating is the four captain's chair arrangement with a rear power folding bench or two further chairs.

The rear bathroom is what separates this from the executive lines. It turns a long drive into something you do not have to plan stops around.

See the full specification on the Weekender page.

Metris

Metris is the compact executive conversion, on the Mercedes-Benz Metris platform rather than the Sprinter. It is the smallest vehicle in the range and the one buyers choose when the Sprinter is more vehicle than the job needs.

See the full specification on the Metris page, or read our longer piece on the custom Mercedes Metris as a stealth luxury van.

What goes into a custom Sprinter build

First Class Customs is a factory-direct manufacturer. All four stages below happen in house at the 30,000 square foot facility in Springfield, Missouri, rather than being subcontracted out. That is the single most useful thing to understand about how a custom Sprinter is made, because in this market the work is very often split across several shops and nobody owns the result.

Metal fabrication and structure

Every seat mount, every cabinet frame and every structural change starts as metal work. This is the stage that is least visible in a finished vehicle and most consequential, because it is what everything else is bolted to. Doing it in house means the people who designed the layout are the people who built the structure under it.

Electrical systems

A custom Sprinter carries far more electrical load than the chassis was built to serve: lighting, televisions, audio, climate, charging, connectivity. The wiring has to be sized for that load, routed where it can be serviced, and documented so a problem in year four can be traced.

Electrical work is covered under the First Class Customs conversion warranty, which runs three years or 36,000 miles.

Upholstery and seating

Seating is made in house, which is unusual in this market and is the reason the seat options are not limited to a catalogue. McLaren style captain's chairs, rear power folding benches and rear stadium seating are all built on site.

Cabinetry and interior finish

Woodwork, trim, lighting and the finish details are the part the buyer touches every day. Curved wall work, as used on Ultimate Class, is cabinetry at the limit of what is practical in a van body, and it only works when the fabrication underneath was done to match.

If you want the longer version of how to judge this stage in any manufacturer, read the definitive guide to choosing the best custom Sprinter builder.

How long does a custom Sprinter build take?

There are two clocks and buyers often hear one number and assume it covers both.

The first is the chassis. If a Mercedes-Benz chassis is not already allocated, there is a wait before the build can start at all. The second is the build itself, which runs from the signed specification to delivery.

Ask any manufacturer for both numbers separately. A single combined figure hides which half is slipping.

What does a custom Sprinter cost?

A custom Sprinter is priced on specification, not on a trim level. The cost drivers, in order of weight, are the seating, the privacy divider and layout, the technology package and the interior finish.

Because First Class Customs is factory-direct, there is no dealer margin on top of the build. Our detailed breakdown of what moves the number is in luxury Sprinter van conversion cost.

Choosing a custom Sprinter builder

Five checks, and they are quick:

1. Is the work done in house? Metal, electrical, upholstery, cabinetry. Ask which of the four are subcontracted.
2. Is there a written conversion warranty, and what does it cover? Ask for the document, not a summary.
3. Can you see the facility? A manufacturer who builds on site can show you the floor.
4. Is the electrical work documented? You will need this in year four.
5. Who do you talk to after delivery? The builder, or a seller who did not build it.

The full version of this, with the reasoning behind each check, is in the definitive guide to choosing the best custom Sprinter builder.

Custom Sprinter questions

What is a custom Sprinter?

A custom Sprinter is a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van converted to a specification the buyer sets, rather than bought as a finished catalogue layout. First Class Customs builds eight custom Sprinter lines in house at its 30,000 square foot facility in Springfield, Missouri.

How much does a custom Sprinter cost?

First Class Customs prices a custom Sprinter on specification rather than on a trim level. The largest cost drivers are the seating, the privacy divider and layout, the technology package and the interior finish. Builds are ordered factory-direct, with no dealer margin added.

How long does a custom Sprinter take to build?

There are two separate waits. The first is the Mercedes-Benz chassis, if one is not already allocated. The second is the build itself, from signed specification to delivery. Ask for both numbers separately, because a single combined figure hides which half is slipping.

What Mercedes-Benz chassis can be converted?

First Class Customs builds on four Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis, plus the Metris. The 3500 XD carries VIP Limousine and VIP Shuttle. The 3500 170 Extended carries Executive Class at 9 rear passengers and the 2500 170 Extended carries it at 7. The 3500 Super Single carries Private Class, Ultimate Class and Weekender. The 144 Executive CEO uses a 144 chassis with a standard or raised roof.

Can you finance a custom Sprinter?

Yes. First Class Customs arranges financing through qualified lending partners for new custom builds and for inventory purchases. The Mercedes-Benz chassis and the conversion can be financed together in a single loan, which is the standard structure. First Class Customs facilitates the application and is not the lender.

Who builds custom Sprinters in the United States?

United States builders of custom Sprinters include First Class Customs in Springfield, Missouri, Lexani Motorcars in California, Westwind Coachworks, Bespoke Coach in Van Nuys, Midwest Automotive Designs and Executive Coach Builders. First Class Customs is a factory-direct manufacturer, which means the woodwork, metal fabrication, upholstery and seating are all made in house rather than subcontracted.

Start your custom Sprinter

Every line above is built in house in Springfield, Missouri. Browse the full range on the models page, or talk to the build team about a specification of your own.