No-expense-spared restoration of a rare G4 1939 Mercedes Benz

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The extremely rare Mercedes-Benz G4 offroader, fully operational with completely overhauled mechanical components but with all the deliberately retained traces of its venerable age.

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February 6, 2005 The 1939 Mercedes-Benz G4 offroader is an extremely rare vehicle: originally a gift to Spanish dictator General Franco and now owned by the Spanish royal family, it is one of just a few surviving units of this three-axle offroader originally developed for the German army – just three of the total of 57 units built are still considered absolutely authentic with a meticulously documented history. A no-expense-spared, three-year restoration was recently undertaken at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre with a correspondingly unusual request: the G4 was to be restored to a technically impeccable condition but was to retain its unique patina acquired in the course of its 66-year life. The restoration of the vehicle was a gift from Mercedes-Benz España to the Spanish Royal family and makes for fascinating reading:

The 1939 Mercedes-Benz G4 offroader is an extremely rare vehicle: owned by the Spanish royal family is one of just a few surviving units of this three-axle offroader – just three of the total of 57 units built in the 1930s are still considered absolutely authentic, plus a handful of others without such meticulously documented history.

The restoration order placed with the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center was correspondingly unusual: the G4 was to be restored to a technically impeccable condition but was to retain its unique patina acquired in the course of its 66-year life.

A first quick glance may therefore seem disturbing for a vehicle that has just undergone three years of painstaking restoration. That’s because the restorers deliberately refrained from removing the traces of use in the interior and minor blemishes in the bodywork. These traces and blemishes were left on request of the owners, as they testify to the G4’s history and authenticity.

Before the G4 joined the Spanish royal fleet, it was used by General Francisco Franco who had been given this car as a present from Germany in the first year of his 36 year rule. Since Franco’s death in 1976, the offroader has been lovingly serviced and maintained by the Royal Guard – the Madrid-based Guard hold the automotive classics in the royal fleet in high esteem.

When it was decided to have the G4 restored by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, together with an equally extraordinary car of its day and age, a Mercedes-Benz 770, the cars were given an almost ceremonial farewell in Madrid, and an armed escort accompanied the truck convoy to the French border.

The cars arrived at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Fellbach near Stuttgart in September 2001. The large 770 limousine is still there, undergoing restoration. The work on the G4, completed in December 2004, is a present by Mercedes-Benz España to the Spanish royal family.

The first inspection of the G4 in the workshop of the Classic Center revealed numerous traces of use over the years but the vehicle was otherwise in excellent condition overall.

In a first step, the soft-top was removed and the bodywork was lifted off with utmost care to gain access to the chassis. In the course of the subsequent painstaking restoration, no component, however small, remained untouched. All the mechanical components were disassembled, cleaned, repaired and put together again – an attention to detail that was responsible for consuming three years of restoration work.

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