People used to do this with Jeeps after the war and to a lesser degree with the Humvee. But the G-Wagon is so much classier and very desirable. As long as you don't want to just walk into a Mercedes dealership and are willing to wait, your 4x4 could be way cooler than any Hollywood celebrity's.
This week The Fast Lane Truck visited the shop of a company called Mastodon. Besides Land Cruisers and Land Rovers, they also convert a lot of German army vehicles into road-worthy ones that you can buy for less money than a used Honda Accord.
Even though the Gelandewagen is still in production, the army is de-commissioning 10% of the fleet every year. So in a way, this is like buying an F-104 and turning it into a dragster... but with license plates and no jet fuel.
If you just want a serviced army truck, you are a total badass and only have to pay about $15,000. That's way cheaper than any new car we'd ever buy. After that, the owner of the shop shows TFL a bunch of other cool projects. Right off the bat, he shows one that looks like a 461 series but with a Ferrari F430 red paintjob. It is a gorgeous little thing.
Mastodon also does some engine swaps, but not of the LS variety. Instead, they install regular 4- and 5-cylinder diesel engines, usually from something like an old E-Class. With simple configurations, these will last forever and could even be powered by frying oil.
Some people have even turned these into campers, and you need to check out the one based on an ambulance. It's got a full bed, a shower, and a cooker installed. Cummins swap? Not a problem.
Thanks to the Kardashians, everybody thinks they know what a G-Wagon looks like. But they will be in for a shock when they see a stretched one or a 2-door model that was never sold in America.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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