Strictly speaking, all G-Wagen (G Class) vehicles are Austrian, as every one ever made was built in Graz, Austria at Steyr-Daimler-Puch’s (now MagnaSteyr) factory. But until 2000, as part of the initial agreement with Daimler-Benz, all G-Wagen sold in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Croatia, the former Yugoslavian republics, and a few other minor markets were badged and sold as Puch G-Wagen. Our man in Austria, T-Minor, caught one at a military car show.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the early years of the G Wagens, before they were discovered by the hip-hop and bling-bling set (talk about the ultimate irony; if anyone had told me back in 1979 how these cars would end up being used and sold, I would have laughed hard. I still do…). And I must admit that if I were to have one, I’d really like the Puch emblem on my steering wheel. Arnold Schwarzenegger managed to bring one into the US, the first one in the country wearing the green-white emblem.
The G-Wagen was a joint venture from the get-go, with Mercedes responsible for setting out the basic brief, and Puch engineers, very familiar with designing and building the most capable off-roaders in the world, responsible for making it come together, including the production.
We’ve never done an in-depth CC on these cars, but here’s a few related posts, including my lament on the (d)evolution of the G-Wagen.
CC Outtake: Mercedes G 280 – Pre-Bling Era
The gangsta crowd in Austria luckily use other vehicles (maybe because they know that, here, no one will take them seriously) and the posers from Vienna’s 18th district seem to roll in M-B badged ones. Hence, “genuine” Puch G-Wagen are mostly used by those who appreciate their off-road capabilities and reliable mechanicals: fire fighters, power suppliers, farmers and hard-core offroad fans. Consequently even old ones hold their values well.
What is it about an off road military vehicle that gets so many hearts a pumping that the manufacturer gives in and offers a civilian model, only to have the same people look over their fellow buyers and exclaim, “What a bunch of posers!”
Maybe the army should only let them out in the civilian world as retirement gifts to old sergeants.
Very cool vehicle. With its basic nature, soft top, and military kit, it underscores the differences with the current be-dubbed versions.
What would be interesting, to me at least, would be to take one of these very capable older versions (though with a hardtop and full doors), and do an interior swap with the M-B fittings from a new one. A truly capable G that could tackle any trail you throw at it, and doesn’t look like a blingmobile, but with less, er, Spartan interior. Keep the Puch emblem on the wheel though. Maybe that makes me a poser too, but I prefer to think of it as having the best of both worlds…
While the “gansta” crowd might have dabbled into the G-Class a bit, they’ve largely stuck to the Escalade and Tahoe type, at least what from I’ve seen. Most G-Classes I see are driven by rich kids of even richer parents who have more money than they know what to do with.
I’d certainly take a G-Class if someone gave one to me. I’d be a lot of run to drive around in. But much better values can be found at an M-B dealer.
I’d say the current G-class is more a favorite of the Hollywood set. Seems like they can often be found in the background of photos of celebrities, or on those ridiculous “Reality” shows about the lives of dysfunctional rich people.
How odd ;
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This is obviously a very capable truck , why any poseur would want one escapes me .
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In 1967 we were lucky enough to score a $25 1953 Willys M38A1 Army surplus Jeep , the one with an ‘F’ Head engine and 24 volt system .
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It was slow but tough like an anvil , an important thing if you’re a Rural New England Dairy Farmer who routinely operates on muddy dirt roads .
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This rig looks pristine as did ours when we bought it , I suppose it’d be a shame to use it off road now .
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How is it powered ? where are the under hood pictures we so desperately need ? .
More on old Military rigs please .
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-Nate
Power units are M-B gasoline and diesel engines.
This is almost as cool as a Pinzgauer and probably more practical.
Nice find! Havent seen many Puch badged G-wagens well…ever. And I agree 100%…seeing these blinged out with useless doo dads rubber band tires and ugly dubs is just plain wrong. These arent owner mods (once you drop coin its your call how to trick ot out) but rather M-B selling out and defacing their own legend. At least a determined enthusiast can strip off the clown shoe wheels and jewelry to restore the capability, unlike some dedicated blingmobiles which are effectively neutered at the factory.
Mercedes-Benz does offer the stripped down civilian version of military version (W461) or more bare-bone version of W463. The version is called Professional (as well as Pur and Greenline in some markets).
The W461 version still retains the original nose design and dashboard but has modern upgrades such as airbags, ABS, ESP, latest emission control, and whatever is compulsory in the year of production.
Photo Gallery:
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/hardcore-mercedes-benz-g-class-w461-professional-discontinued-photo-gallery-73897.html#
One example:
http://www.mercedes-benz.co.za/content/south_africa/mpc/mpc_south_africa_website/en/home_mpc/passengercars/home/new_cars/models/g-class/_w463_crosscountry/facts_/gclassprofessional.html
Curiously enough, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman owned an early SWB 230G that he used at his summer house at the island of Fårö, Sweden. He famously went into tax exile into Germany between 1976-84, working as a theatre director at the Residenz Theatre of Munich.
Living in Germany, he acquired two Mercedeses, both model year 1980, neither of which was available for sale in Sweden at the time. He used the G-Wagen for his summer house, and an S-class to ferry vip-guests the way from the airport in Stockholm by ferry the long way to Fårö. The S-class was a 500SE, and the 500 wasn’t for sale in Sweden until the early 80’s. As an ex-pat moving back to Sweden, he was exempt from the regulations, and allowed to register the cars as private imports in Sweden.
“On 30 January 1976, while rehearsing August Strindberg’s Dance of Death at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, he was arrested by two plainclothes police officers and charged with income tax evasion. The impact of the event on Bergman was devastating. He suffered a nervous break-down as a result of the humiliation and was hospitalized in a state of deep depression.”
This isn’t any old pic of any old S-class, this is a pic of his actual car.
And he kept them as the only cars he had until he died in 2006, they were part of the large auction and sale of all his belongings after his death.
Love the color. Something you wouldn’t see a few years later once metallics came in. Though it does seem quite odd to me that a 500 wearing plastic wheel covers that one would expect to see on a low-trim E-class. (Though perhaps those are later retrofits, did those covers even exist in ’80?)
Most Mercedeses sold at that time in Europe was quite spartanly trimmed, it just wasn’t an issue in the 70’s to fill every box in the option list. That came much later, a couple of years into the 80’s, with those crazily customized cars. There were actual people that were actually content to buy even an S-class that wasn’t optioned out, the prestige of the brand was prestige enough. And it wasn’t always a question of money, just this kind of reversed snobbery. It’s a European thing. Like Bergman in this case, buying two brand new Mercedeses at the same time, getting exactly what he needed and nothing else. A capable terrain vehicle for the sometimes muddy terrains or snowy backroads, and a vip-slead to ferry the guests. He could’ve had them optioned out, he just didn’t feel like it.
At the oldest , that’s a 1981 W-126 , the first year available , replacing the venerable W-116 S-Klasse chassis .
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-Nate
How do you get it to be an ’81? The W126 was introduced in September ’79 at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. Depending on how you count, the first MY should be ’79 or ’80. I don’t know when it was imported to the US, but it was available in Europe from the fall of 1979.
I concur with Ingvar.
The production began in December 1979 for 1980 model year for German market. The US version arrived in November 1980 for 1981 model year with 300SD and abysmally overpriced and underpowered 380SEL.
Speaking of colour, one colour that was available only for first two model years and never offered on S-Class colour palette again: mimosa yellow. I saw one on the Autobahn A5 toward Freiburg during our family holiday in the summer 1980. So impossible to miss.
I couldn’t find a good photo of W126 in mimosa yellow. This one is closest.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SkxLBfAHLC0/hqdefault.jpg
Ingvar ;
Because I’m an American and that’s when we first got it .
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I wasn’t aware the W-116 and W-126 were made at the same time .
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Thanx for the heads up ! .
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-Nate
(banging around rural Maine in a 1987 300SDL W/ OM603)
Mercedes did this for many years, delaying US introduction of a new model for one year to make sure the kinks were worked out. The W124 was the same, as well as some others.
To paraphrase the saying about Corvettes, all G-Wagens are tomato red with black grilles and bumpers and fridge-white steelies. The rest are just mistakes.
How about a shot of the UAZ 469 next to it? An interesting study in contrasts, their service life overlapped (and overlaps to this day) but they couldn’t be more different in how they go about accomplishing things. The G-wagen is super sturdy and precisely manufactured, the UAZ, well, it’s a rather crude and slip-shod beast, but it will get you where you need to go in one fashion or another. Even serious repairs can be done by the side of the trail, like swapping a headgasket. Capability wise I’d give the nod to the G-wagen, but in terms of keeping one of them running in the bush for decades, I’d have to go with the UAZ.
I am surprised the Euro Armies got these Mercedes/Puch. At the time their manpower was largely draftees, like the Soviets. The sophistication/complexity of these might overwhelm an in the field repair.
I believe in the USA the by then all volunteer professional force struggled somewhat with the larger, more complex Humvees replacing the well understood Jeeps.
Meanwhile, Toyota was developing a replacement for the 40-series Land Cruiser and took the middle path – KISS, to be sure, but what’s there is engineered and built to the highest standard.
But then, the LC was developed as a commercial truck first and foremost and while money tends to be no object in military procurement, that is not the case for farmers and mining operations.
There is a pic of the whole line of cars on the CC Cohort also.
One of the cool things about these is the pleasure of closing the door. Sounds silly but their quality really shows in this way. Ka- chunk!
” I remember seeing a G240D (so, G-wagen powered by an OM616 diesel) parked in back of a dealer in Madison, WI ” .
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~ OOOOOOO ! .
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I love my 240D the very best out of every Mercedes I own / ever had .
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One of those would be sweet ~ just enough power to get the job (ANY job) done and not enough power to wear it out….
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You alls are killing me here , talking about NA OM616 powered G Wagons , UAZ and those other tiny little things ~ I’m still not finished sorting out my old Morris Minor and I worry I’ll run across an ex movie car UAZ or GAZ, etc. cheaply and have to buy it…
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-Nate
I remember seeing a G240D (so, G-wagen powered by an OM616 diesel) parked in back of a dealer in Madison, WI several years ago…now that would be a great G-class to have! Nowadays, M-B is just taking advantage of poseurs to sell G’s to people who don’t need them…more power to them, I guess.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think G-Wagens were badged as Puch in the UK. I regularly saw 80s models here, but they all wore Merc badges.
I’ve never seen a Puch badged version in the flesh.
You’re correct, these were always Mercedes in the UK. The 300GD and 280GE were introduced in 1981 there.
That didn’t sound right to me. Another wikipedia mistake. Fixed now.
There is another G-Class variation called Peugeot P4, which was a modified derivation built by Peugeot under licence. It had motor from 504 and gearbox from 604 for French military. Per licence agreement, Peugeot wasn’t allowed to export and sell P4 outside France. Civilian version was offered, but the high licence fee made it more expensive than the competitors.
P4 was initially built in a similar arrangement that Mercedes-Benz and Porsche had with W124 500E/E500. P4 chassis and certain components were built in Austria and shipped to France to be finished by Peugeot. This 50:50 arrangement was to ensure ‘Frenchness’ in similar vein to ‘Buy American’ programme today.
Peugeot version is identifiable by square headlamps and turn signal indicators in the headlamp bezel rather than on top of bonnet.
I always thought that the G-Class was designed and developed for the German Army. But according to the German Wikipedia site it was a “special order” from the shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He owned 18% of the Daimler-Benz shares, and in the early seventies he wanted Mercedes to develop a hunting vehicle / Border Patrol off-roader.
In 1972 Daimler-Benz and Steyr-Daimler-Puch started the development of what would become the G-Class.