The G’s inexorable rise.

1982 would witness the G-Wagen (almost[1]) tame the desert wastes of the Dakar Rally. Piloted by Belgian Formula 1 refugee, and six-time Le Mans winner, Jacky Ickx along with co-driver, Claude Brasseur, they placed fifth (with a fine bronze medal for Jean-Pierre Jaussaud/Micelles Briére), with overall victory bagged the following year. This being the most punishing of environments, considerable tweaking had taken place over its everyday counterpart. Utilising aluminium bodywork and extensive wind tunnel testing, a fettled 230GE made 220bhp.
Around the same time, workaday G-Wagens could be refined by paying for optional air conditioning, automatic transmission, an auxiliary fuel tank and cable winch. Later, more comfortable seating and flared fenders were also offered. The two-spoke steering wheel from the TN van was also demoted for the four-spoke, impact absorbing version from the W126, which to some eyes Continue reading “Ode To G — Part Two”