Photo: Lorinser
Lorinser is the oldest family-owned tuning company in Germany and one of the oldest in the world, even if modifying cars wasn’t actually its thing until 1974, or over four decades after it was founded by Erwin Lorinser.
Erwin’s nephew is now in charge of the Mercedes-Benz tuner, and to keep the family business going, he has branched out the company in other areas as well, such as vehicle restoration.
After developing a stock of dozens of Puch G-Class military vehicles mostly coming from active duty in the Swiss army, the Lorinser Classic branch is now in the business of restoring and even modifying some for more civilian uses.
The latest of such examples is this G-Class RV restomod, which was originally a 230 GE with hardtop used for reconnaissance and other military activities and has now received the chance for a better life by becoming an expedition RV.
“We painted the body in a matt, green-gray color, blasted the underbody with dry ice and preserved it, refurbished the seats and worked on many other features. The engine with a mileage of only 88,000 km was already in very good condition” says Marcus Lorinser.
The four-cylinder gasoline engine is only good for 116 horsepower and is paired to an automatic 4-speed transmission but has enough oomph to go over the most extreme surfaces on its way to the perfect camping spot. Since it’s still a G-Wagen after all, we are talking about a rugged four-wheel-drive system and two locking differentials (only the civilian Mercedes-Benz G-Class eventually came with three of them).
Obviously, the high point of the project is not the actual restoration but the modifications resulting in the car’s quite abrupt transformation. Despite the short wheelbase, passengers in the back can now indulge in features like auxiliary heating, 220 V outlets, a microwave, an integrated kitchen that is also combined with a bathroom sink and a water tank, a folding table and not one but two folding beds.
For the more outdoorsy types, a sun sail and an outdoor shower can also be connected. Power for all these creature comforts comes from on-board batteries, which can be charged from an exterior plug or through the solar panels that the car is equipped with.
Our favorite feature? The rear cabin has been wrapped in a foil that has a map design on it, recreating a design from famous cartographer Petrus Bertius from the 17th century. The pricing for this ex-military globetrotter is a cool 69,900 euros (about $76,700), which isn’t that much considering you’re buying an expedition RV that already has a history behind it.
After developing a stock of dozens of Puch G-Class military vehicles mostly coming from active duty in the Swiss army, the Lorinser Classic branch is now in the business of restoring and even modifying some for more civilian uses.
The latest of such examples is this G-Class RV restomod, which was originally a 230 GE with hardtop used for reconnaissance and other military activities and has now received the chance for a better life by becoming an expedition RV.
“We painted the body in a matt, green-gray color, blasted the underbody with dry ice and preserved it, refurbished the seats and worked on many other features. The engine with a mileage of only 88,000 km was already in very good condition” says Marcus Lorinser.
The four-cylinder gasoline engine is only good for 116 horsepower and is paired to an automatic 4-speed transmission but has enough oomph to go over the most extreme surfaces on its way to the perfect camping spot. Since it’s still a G-Wagen after all, we are talking about a rugged four-wheel-drive system and two locking differentials (only the civilian Mercedes-Benz G-Class eventually came with three of them).
Obviously, the high point of the project is not the actual restoration but the modifications resulting in the car’s quite abrupt transformation. Despite the short wheelbase, passengers in the back can now indulge in features like auxiliary heating, 220 V outlets, a microwave, an integrated kitchen that is also combined with a bathroom sink and a water tank, a folding table and not one but two folding beds.
For the more outdoorsy types, a sun sail and an outdoor shower can also be connected. Power for all these creature comforts comes from on-board batteries, which can be charged from an exterior plug or through the solar panels that the car is equipped with.
Our favorite feature? The rear cabin has been wrapped in a foil that has a map design on it, recreating a design from famous cartographer Petrus Bertius from the 17th century. The pricing for this ex-military globetrotter is a cool 69,900 euros (about $76,700), which isn’t that much considering you’re buying an expedition RV that already has a history behind it.
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