Photo: Benny Kirk/autoevolution
The Mint 400 is a race largely defined by stripped-out, shizzle-jawed racing trucks with fewer creature comforts than a Nevada jail and enough horsepower to rip a hole through the Earth's crust. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for luxury 4x4s to soak in the scenery in front of the race's infield at its front entrance. At this proverbial mini-SEMA at the race this year, one in particular stood out as the classiest 4x4 in the joint.
Yes, what you see before you here is just another W463-series Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, better known as a G-Wagon. But as you'll notice within two seconds of looking at it in real life, as we did, this one's just a bit more special. It's the product of a small but dedicated tune shop just a stone's throw away from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway called Bill Rader Motorsports. As their full-time profession, this shop most often specializes in refurbishing and rebuilding transmissions for German vehicles like Mercedes and Porsche.
Apart from all that jazz, the company is best known for being the finest modifiers and custom tuners of G-Wagons in the State of Nevada. From lift kits to wheel and tire packages and even some of the first proper portal axle conversions fitted to the W463-series G-Wagon in North America, Bill Rader's shop is rife with innovations and upgrades custom off-roader drivers not only want but demand. They're the perfect kind of outlet to take what's already a world-class 4x4 SUV and make it that little bit more capable.
A stock G-Wagon is already a supremely capable off-road platform. One with top-shelf terrain response software to go along with considerable hardware in the suspension department. But what Bill Rader Motorsports does is bring the best out of G-Wagon software by vastly upgrading key suspension components to levels the engineers in Austria only wish they were allowed to. By professionally installing a set of portal axles and beefy lifted suspension from LeTech, the ground clearance numbers on display with these rigs begs belief.
We're talking numbers like 13 inches of clearance from the lowest point of the front lower control arm, 16 inches from the lowest part of the subframe, and a whopping 19 inches from the front skid plate. This should make moderate bumps, small craters, and moderate potholes all that much easier to traverse as if they were never even there. Add on tasteful trinkets like a tube-steel spare wheel cover, a roof rack with an integrated rear ladder, and all the associated mounting brackets; the world's most refined German off-roader is now considerably more capable. Check out Bill Rader Motorsports' official website right here if you want to learn more. It might make your wallet weep.
Apart from all that jazz, the company is best known for being the finest modifiers and custom tuners of G-Wagons in the State of Nevada. From lift kits to wheel and tire packages and even some of the first proper portal axle conversions fitted to the W463-series G-Wagon in North America, Bill Rader's shop is rife with innovations and upgrades custom off-roader drivers not only want but demand. They're the perfect kind of outlet to take what's already a world-class 4x4 SUV and make it that little bit more capable.
A stock G-Wagon is already a supremely capable off-road platform. One with top-shelf terrain response software to go along with considerable hardware in the suspension department. But what Bill Rader Motorsports does is bring the best out of G-Wagon software by vastly upgrading key suspension components to levels the engineers in Austria only wish they were allowed to. By professionally installing a set of portal axles and beefy lifted suspension from LeTech, the ground clearance numbers on display with these rigs begs belief.
We're talking numbers like 13 inches of clearance from the lowest point of the front lower control arm, 16 inches from the lowest part of the subframe, and a whopping 19 inches from the front skid plate. This should make moderate bumps, small craters, and moderate potholes all that much easier to traverse as if they were never even there. Add on tasteful trinkets like a tube-steel spare wheel cover, a roof rack with an integrated rear ladder, and all the associated mounting brackets; the world's most refined German off-roader is now considerably more capable. Check out Bill Rader Motorsports' official website right here if you want to learn more. It might make your wallet weep.
Google News