Take a stroll into the always-impressive Petersen Automotive Museum at any given time, and it’s guaranteed you’ll come across a car you’ve never laid eyes on before. Amongst their hundreds of weird and wonderful prototypes, instantly recognisable movie icons and one-off custom creations, in their new exhibition, ‘Totally Awesome!’, you’ll stumble upon a Mercedes-Benz 300GD that truly redefines the terms opulence and dual personality.
The freshly launched exhibition explores the intersection of automobiles and popular culture during the last two decades of the 20th century, an era when Middle Eastern spending was at an all-time high, all while European car tuning was growing exponentially. Few brands could rival the presence and power of a Mercedes-Benz, and for those seeking to stand out even more, tuning houses across Germany and beyond were standing to fill their order forms with outrageous customisations, all designed to one-up their fellow millionaire friends and rivals.
Long before the Mercedes-AMG became what we know and love today, the tuning house was busy making a name for itself in the early 1980s, built off the success of the ‘Red Pig’ that raced at the 24 hours of Spa. AMG were tasked with customising the humble 300GD, with the desire from ultra-wealthy clients to combine the commanding stance of the off-roader with the diplomatic allure of the S-Class models available on the market.
The result is exactly how one would imagine it in their mind: a short wheelbase, military-derived early G-Wagen sporting the sleek, wide grille and headlamps of a W116-generation S-Class. Not content with this major alteration, AMG would fit orthopaedic Recaro sports seats, multi-spoke alloy wheels, and unique graphics, which were only rediscovered during a recent restoration. Unlike the AMG's we see today, often toting monstrously powerful engines that the technicians at their factory have carefully fettled to bring out maximum power, the 300GD's inline 5-cylinder diesel looks to be left untouched!
The story of this rarity was impressive from the get-go, with tennis legend Ivan Lendl purchasing this example from new in 1984, a time when the sport was truly in its golden era. The young Czech player brought fresh ideas to the court, as well as big-budget sponsorship deals, and the history of this 300GD would be surrounded in rumours until Lendl sat down with The Patina Collective to discuss how he came to own the car. While many believed it came from a wealthy Sheik or a prize during a tournament in the Middle East, Lendl explains it was simply a passing encounter while playing in Stuttgart. In his downtime, Mercedes-Benz, who sponsored the Cup at the time, invited Lendl to visit the factory, where he first laid eyes on the early G-Wagen, which still sported the original, round headlamps. Lendl simply asked the hosting Mercedes executives if it was possible to have the S-Class front added to the 300GD, and a simple nod was enough to get the ball rolling on this incredible creation. The car was sent to Affalterbach, who worked their magic to create something the world had never seen before. Lendl jokingly debunks the myth that the car has links to the Middle East, and had only ever played tennis in Dubai once or twice, making this example even rarer as the majority of custom AMGs were ordered by the wealthy Middle Eastern elite.
Now proudly part of The Patina Collective based out of Florida, arguably one of the greatest customised Mercedes-Benz collections in the world, the car currently resides alongside fine company within The Petersen Museum, showcasing some of the most spectacular vehicles built between 1980 and 1999, from visionary concepts to iconic production models, and legendary racers to one-off designs, all set against the backdrop of the fashion, media, and music that defined a truly unforgettable era.
Photos via Petersen Automotive Museum
