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Take a look around the collector car market and you’ll see 1970s to 1990s SUVs are very hot right now. Either bone stock or $300,000 restomods, people want them. The typical suspects are always the most in demand like Land Cruisers, Broncos, and Defenders, but now it seems like people are digging up G-Wagens from across the globe to dump off on Americans flush with cash. Even better, they are using cheap labor and materials from countries in Europe that are economically challenged then selling them under the guise of “restored,” which is a term that has lost all meaning whatsoever given how often it is used under false pretense. Case in point, today’s 1984 Mercedes-Benz 240GD in Poland.
If you are shopping for a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, you have a couple choices. Those choices range from the military-spec models with steel floors and 65…
While it looks very similar to the models that have been rolling out of Germany since 1979, most of the G-classes we see in the US are of the W463 variety, an update that ushered in the 1990s. While the 11-year run of the W460/461 chassis probably seemed long at the time, I don’t think anyone could have guessed that the W463 would still be produced 25 years later. While the actual aesthetic differences are few, I much prefer the older W460/1 models as they very rarely look like soft-roaders and usually carry a little more patina, history, and toughness.
Today’s flat-black with green canvas top looks pretty mean and would likely be unstoppable off-road, but the devil is in the details. While the owner claims it has covered just 8,000km or 5,000 miles, the close-up pictures show some rust hidden under the too-easy black respray. Combined with a weak description, its potential is overwhelmed by more questions than answers and a terribly optimistic price.
Do you get jealous of the brightly-colored Land Rover Defenders romping around the streets, looking all tough? Well, today we have a Geländewagen that looks ready for safari, enough so that it will probably be regularly mistaken for its British counterpart. With just 40k miles and a great diesel/manual combo, it’s a very nice off-road package. Bidding is hot on the no-reserve auction for this orange beast that will never be taken for a road-going G55 or G63.
For all the glitz and glamour of the current models, the Mercedes-Benz G class was originally intended for military consumption. However, much like the Hummer H1, the jet set took a liking to this vehicle and ran with it. Now we have AMG models of a rough and ready off-roader, answers to a question it seemed no one asked in the first place. If you want an honest, back to basics G-wagen, dial back to the 1980s, as there are a few bouncing around on these shores courtesy of the importer at the time, Santa Fe Motors in New Mexico. In addition, now that we’re at the point that most 1980s machinery is eligible for legal importation, interesting variants like this 1986 “Wolf,†built for defense operations in mind, have started to make their way across the pond. This one for sale in New Jersey is perfect for someone who wants to take the road less travelled off-road. Literally.
