Heritage is hot. Now Mercedes-Benz is playing the heritage game, with a vehicle that captures the rugged, all-accomplishing style of the original G-Class. With today’s luxury-first ride, that’s quite an impressive feat. Meet the Mercedes-Benz G550 Stronger Than The 1980s Edition.
While the inaugural G-Class available to the buying public first hit the streets in 1979, it was in the decade to follow that the boxy SUV would go on to widespread appreciation as everyone from Middle Eastern sheiks to European farmers to the Pope himself scooped them up. Now, 35 years after the decade wrapped, the automaker is paying homage. The name, in case you’re wondering, is an apparent reference to the “Stronger Than Time” motto Mercedes has been using for the G-Class in recent years.
Mercedes based the special edition around a 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 550, with its 4.0L twin-turbo V8 making 416 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. That’s a far cry from the original 280 GE that inspired this rig.
It made 156 horsepower from a 2.8L I6, enough to get it from 0 to 60 in 14 seconds. The base model, the 230 G, was even slower, with just 90 horsepower. No wonder it was durable!
Mercedes-Benz is only planning to make 460 copies of this special G-Class. It won’t be serialized, but each one gets “1 of 460” badging. It is coming to the U.S., though Mercedes didn’t say how many copies would be available. Expect it this fall, with pricing closer to the on-sale date.
