MERCEDES G500 AMG CONVERTIBLE
Year of manufacture 2007 Recorded mileage 55,950km Asking price £84,950 Vendor Autostorico, near Beaconsfield, Bucks; tel: 01628 526455; www.autostorico.co.uk
WHEN IT WAS NEW Price $83,700 (not listed in the UK ) Max power 292bhp
Max torque 336lb ft 0-60mph 8 secs Top speed 130mph Mpg 17
Bonhams recently sold a new Mercedes-maybach G560 for over £1m, so it was time to take a look at one of these. Like the Range Rover, the Steyrpuch-designed G-wagen has become gentrified, and this SWB is highly specced, including 18in alloys, power hood, heated memory seats, cruise control and parking sensors. It was registered in the UK in March 2009. The first three stamps in the (German) book are from English dealers, the fourth and last being at 51,736km in 2016 from Tower Garage, Marlow.
The Obsidian Black (a light metallic) is even, with no chips or scratches, but orange-peeled in places. The wheels are unmarked and the Yokohama Geolanders, dated 2007, are probably the originals, with plenty of tread. The hood is good, though oddly the rear panel’s locking knobs don’t match. It has a full toolkit, unopened first-aid set and still-sealed Merc bulb pack.
The motor is hidden by covers, but the oil is golden and the coolant clean and blue, plus the engine and transmission are bone-dry underneath (though front and rear diffs are slightly damp on their undersides). The chassis is straight and pristine, though the exhaust has surface rust.
It’s all smart inside, the hide unworn, with mint veneers and perfect carpet protected by overmats, but the aluminium gear selector surround is slightly bent and rippled. All the electric toys work, including seat tilt and steering column memory, plus multiple air bladders within the seats.
The V8 springs into life, and it drives nicely. The seven-speed auto hurtles through the ratios with a responsive kickdown, but you can count them in manual mode and they’re all there. The ride is taut, the steering surprisingly feelsome and the brakes responsive. The coolant is steady at 82ºc. The air-con works, as do all three diff-lock indicators (it wouldn’t have been kind to drive it like that on tarmac). It will come with a new MOT.