When Mercedes-Benz released the Geländewagen in the ‘70s, it was originally intended for military use. It took a few more years before it became available for civilian use, and Mercedes-Benz launched that version in 1979. The first models were built for purpose, utilitarian, and built for hard use. It didn’t seem like it at the time, but the G-Wagen (later, G-Class) would become one of the most sought-after models in its product range.
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44 years have passed since its introduction, and the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has reached a significant production milestone. The 500,000th unit had just rolled off the Magna Styer assembly line in Graz, Austria. It’s an amazing feat for something that was originally intended for civil service, and even more impressive given that the 400,000th unit was made back in December 2020. In the span of just two and a half years, 100,000 units of the G-Class were made.
To commemorate this milestone, the 500,000th G-Class is a nod to one of the original demo units from 1979. According to Mercedes-Benz, this one-off is a tribute to the 280 GE, one of the first variants offered in the G-Class lineup. This particular G-Class is colored in agave green, but the throwback goes beyond the body color. There are also the amber turn signals on top of the fenders, along with a soft tire cover and five-spoke alloys that became available later in the G-Class options list.
The interior gets the retro treatment as well. The seats get fabric trims with a checkered pattern, which was a common sight back in the early days of the G-Class. It also gets less brightwork inside, and other unique touches from the Mercedes-Benz individualization catalog. As for other additions to the car, it gets black rubbing strips on the fenders and doors, a roof tray, and a rear step ladder. The only thing missing is a ‘barn door’ split tailgate which was an option from past G-Class models.
All in all, it’s a neat tribute to the 1979 model. It does make us wish that Mercedes-Benz offers this look as a style package down the line. If anything, it’s refreshing to see a G-Class that isn’t draped in AMG Line goodies, leaving its clean, straight-edged lines for us to appreciate.
