Meet the Silver Star’s 45th birthday present to the erstwhile Mercedes-Benz G400d. It’s referred to as the Mount Schöckl Edition, it wears colour-shifting inexperienced paint, and one fortunate proprietor will half with R3 366 210 for the pleasure of proudly owning one. But permit me to elucidate why there may be important worth on this possession expertise. 45-years in the past, the Shah of Iran – an vital Mercedes-Benz stakeholder of the period – urged the corporate to develop a weapons-grade, desert-bashing army car. It discovered the cash, and never lengthy after the engineering and testing course of, the primary civilian variations went on sale (after the Shah took supply of his, in fact).

45 YEARS OF THE MERCEDES-BENZ G400D

Like the Ford Mustang or Fiat 500, the Mercedes-Benz G400d is a kind of uncommon timeless automotive icons. As a end result, it’s built completely differently to any other Mercedes passenger car. It hails from a facility referred to as Magna Steyr in Austria. Even although it’s been up to date with all the newest applied sciences conceivable, it’s nonetheless hand-assembled by a small group of individuals.

Specifically, there are 6 500 handbook welds wanted to make its ladder-frame chassis. All the leather-based and fabric work are completed on-site and by hand. The boutique manufacturing unit solely builds roughly 60 vehicles every day. And the present manufacturing run is spoken for till the brand new G-wagen (with an electrical motor) arrives subsequent 12 months. As you may in all probability inform, the recipe for the Mercedes-Benz G400d is proudly and intentionally unchanged. Because you dare not mess with an icon, says Mercedes-Benz.

BEAUTY INSIDE THE BEAST

On the within of the Mercedes-Benz G400d, the whole lot is all-new and it’s like climbing into probably the most trendy of Mercs. You’ll discover modernity with twin widescreen digital shows from the S-Class limo. There’s infinite temper lighting and fantastically crafted turbine-style air vents to carry the attention. Its seat therapeutic massage and heating/cooling operate is arguably the perfect of its type on this planet. And the dash-mounted seize deal with for the entrance passenger is a doff of the cap to the unique.

The actual genius are the newest driver aids retrofitted to maintain it related on this decade. We’re speaking conveniences like auto LED lights, adaptive cruise management and lively lane-keeping help. However, beneath the tinsel, the body-on-frame building nonetheless dishes up mechanical steering, strong axles with torsion bar stabilisers entrance and rear.

GOES ANYWHERE

On any wheel-travel-testing route, you quickly realise this automobile’s off-road functionality is nearly limitless. 30-degree-plus method, departure and break-over angles, 215 mm floor clearance, 600 mm fording depth, low vary and three locking differentials can’t be trifled with. In the previous, we’ve visited the manufacturing plant the place it’s constructed.

Plus, we’ve pushed up the world-famous Mount Schöckl, the place it’s engineered and developed. This restricted version 4×4, and all of the G-wagens earlier than it, have been traversing up and down its rugged trails for greater than 45 years. Powered by the newest Euro-6 compliant in-line six-cylinder diesel, it produces 243 kW and 700 Nm of torque. It’s zero to 100 km/h dash in 6.5 seconds is fast sufficient however it’s the rolling tractability from the six-cylinder diesel that’s spectacular. Not to say that indomitable sense you may conquer any terrain the universe throws your means. Sure, you may go for a Kim Kardashian-spec V8 petrol G63 AMG. But be prepared so as to add one other million rand to the underside line.

LEGACY OF TOUGHNESS

What you may’t expertise by merely reciting its specs is simply how powerful and unbreakable the Mercedes-Benz G400d is. Believe you me, at Mount Schöckl, we skilled fairly the show by a loopy G-wagen professional driver referred to as Dietmar. He took us for a journey down the mountain path like a person possessed. We went airborne over jumps and obstacles. There was zero slow-as-possible, fast-as-necessary to his driving approach. The closest factor to the G400d’s weapons-grade indestructibility is a custom-built Dakar race automobile.

Speaking of the Dakar Rally, again in 1983, the G-wagen received it with the nice Jacky Ickx on the wheel. Contrast that to the ‘Popemobile’ model which Mercedes-Benz additionally made and personally gifted to the Pontiff. Talk a couple of automobile with a spread of skills. And then you definitely do not forget that this icon is the darling of Hollywood and heads of state, too. That’s principally as a result of its tough-as-nails chassis can simply deal with the load of closely upgraded bulletproof physique armour.

THE VERDICT

What we love most is the old-world romance to the design. Its boxy stance supplies snug sight-lines for off-roading and parking. The clickity-clack of the doorways, even the vast aperture of its rear door with spare wheel is sort of sensible. What a powerful mixture of contradictions, that this wondrous, unique, hand-built automobile can be the final word standing image. And let’s not overlook that nearly each G-Class ever produced during the last 45 years continues to be working. Yet one more reason for its folkloric fame.

THE FIGURES

• Mercedes-Benz G400d Mount Schöckl Edition
• Price: R3 366 210
• Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbodiesel
• Transmission: 9-speed auto, four-wheel drive with low vary and three locking differentials
• Power: 243 kW and 700 Nm
• Fuel Economy: 9.6 l/100 km (claimed) / 11.0 l/100 km (examined)
• Performance: 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds (examined) / high pace 210 km/h

IS THE G-CLASS AN ICON IN YOUR EYES?

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