The Breakdown
- Expedition Motor Company, or EMC, builds restomodded versions of the old W460 and W461 Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
- This one, dubbed Camouflage Wolf, features a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 engine making 430 horsepower.
- The starting price for a normal build is $185,000. Adding the V8 tacks on $55,000.
Expedition Motor Company, or EMC, focuses its restoration and modification efforts on the humble G-Wagen. When I say "humble," that should tip you off that I'm referring to the older W460 and W461-generation trucks, not the Whole Foods parking-lot-hogging monsters of today.
The older Mercedes-Benz G-Class has its roots in utilitarian and military vehicles. EMC takes one of those older trucks and gives it a fresh coat of paint, upgraded interior features, and your choice of powertrains.
The result is an old truck you'd be happy to run around in today, even if your commute is less apocalyptic landscapes and more beaches or ski slopes. The company's latest build leans into the military side of the G-Wagen history, and it's dubbed the Camouflage Wolf.
Gallery: Expedition Motor Company Restomod Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen
The truck is a 1991 W461, which started life as a 250GD Wolf. Wolf is the G-Wagen term for a G-Class built for military or utility purposes. The original powertrain would've been an OM602 diesel engine good for maybe 90 horsepower.
EMC swapped that out in favor of a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 capable of 430 horsepower. There's Bilstein suspension, a lovely Sweetgrass-colored interior, and a dash of oak trim. The end result is a very cool truck, with a rather shocking price tag.
An EMC build starts around $185,000. If you want to upgrade to the LS3 V8 engine, you'll add an extra $55,000 to the bottom line. That's a lot of labor cost for about $22,000 in engine and transmission parts.
Regardless, EMC builds cool-looking trucks. And any restomod builder is asking crazy money for their vehicles.
Motor1's Take: You could recreate this build yourself for a lot less dough, but that's only if you can do the work yourself. And that doesn't count the paintwork or interior upgrades, of course.
It's definitely a cool rig—but that starting price is hard to stomach.
