- One of the first ever AMG G-wagons is on display at LA’s Petersen Museum.
- AMG transplanted the S-Class front end and added BBS wheels and Recaros.
- The 1983 300 GD’s original owner was US Open tennis champion Ivan Lendl.
Take a drive through the fancy parts of any big US or European city and you’re almost guaranteed to see at least one Mercedes-AMG G63. But the appeal of the SUV’s blend of military chic and AMG branding isn’t new. AMG has been modifying Gs for over 40 years, long before it was bought out by Mercedes, and one of those rare, original creations is currently on display in a US museum.
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The 1983 300 GD is part of the Totally Awesome installation celebrating cars and culture from the 1980s and 1990s at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles. It belongs to the hardcore Mercedes nuts at Florida’s Patina Collective who stumbled across the G-wagon by accident around four years ago, one of a limited number of SUVs that were usually bought by wealthy enthusiasts in the Middle East.
A G-Wagon Fit for a Grand Slam Champion
But this particular G-Class wasn’t imported from Dubai. It was commissioned by 1980s tennis champ Ivan Lendl, whose name even appears on the VIN plate. Lendl explains in a video on the Patina Collective’s Youtube channel that Mercedes was one of his sponsors in the 1980s and he came across the two-door convertible SUV while visiting the company.
Related: This G-Class Is So Over the Top, Even Mansory Thinks It’s Excessive
He liked the concept, but hated its face and casually asked a Mercedes rep whether it would be possible to have one with the front end from a regular road car. That conversation led to AMG’s door where the 300 GD received the lights and grille from a W116 S-Class sedan, AMG bumpers and bodykit, BBS wheels, blue leather Recaro seats and a custom paint job.
Petersen Automotive Museum
One-of-a-Kind, Even Back Then
Lendl drove the car for around 10 years, taking it with him when he moved to Connecticut. Even a stock G-Wagon was a relatively rare sight in the US then because Mercedes didn’t officially import them, but the AMG connection made it one of a kind.
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Unlike today’s AMG G-Wagons, this one is definitely all about the show without the go. Its 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel engine was left untouched by the team at Affalterbach and is only rated at 87 hp (88 PS) and a woeful 127 lb-ft (172 Nm) of torque, meaning zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) takes almost 25 seconds.
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H/t to Classic Driver