Please no laughs!

I just bought my first Mercedes, a '83 380SEC with 107K original miles. It's absolutely beautiful and perfectly maintained.

The first items on my agenda are:

Brakes - switching to cross drilled rotors, stainless lines, rebuild calipers, etc.

Springs and shocks - a little too soft for my taste

I have two questions....

I'm looking to dump the 14" rims, they definitely seem to be a big stumbling block in the handling department. Any good recommendations on 16" or 17" rims?

Second, I'd like to improve the performance somewhat. Any good tips for the 380 engine? It seems that the exhaust has to strangle it. Anyone actually put a real dual system on these?

All tips and hints are appreciated!

A MB Newbie