An absolutely perfect Mercedes-Benz 280 GE, seen in a repair shop on a car market in the south of the Chinese capital Beijing. The blue G was in mint-condition and totally original inside and out.
Whereas the latest G63 AMG’s can be seen on every street corner in Beijing, the older G-Class cars are ultra rare. The W460 Mercedes-Benz G-Class was manufactured from 1979 until 1992. Our blue car in Beijing is a 280 GE, which was made until 1990.
The 280 GE badge under the mirror stalk, and holding the stalk, was in a shiny as new shape.
Power came from a 2.8 liter (2746 cc) six-in-line petrol engine, good for 153 hp and 226 Nm. That is not very much for such a big car, even back then, and 0-100 took a long 14 seconds. Top speed was 165 km/h.
The G280 GE was made in a time when the G was still a basic utility vehicle and it went without any luxuries. The dash looked great, and it even has the original radio-cassette player!
Staff told me the vehicle had arrived in China in 1998, and was originally used by the government, and subsequently sold on the private market. The current owner had it since 2004.
This particular 280 GE was a nine-seat variant. Two front, 3 middle, and…
… four in the back (two on each side). That’s a lot of folk in a G.
The beautiful original steel wheels.
I have only seen a couple of these older Gees in China, and the others didn’t look this great. Main problem is the lack of parts. The W460 was not officially sold by Mercedes-Benz in China, bar for a few batch-deliveries to the Chinese government. Staff in the shop told me they got the parts for this blue beauty mostly from Germany, shipped in via eBay. Many older Mercedes-Benz cars are kept alive in this way.
I was so happy to see this car that I almost couldn’t leave. I jumped around it for almost half an hour. After a while, the shop’s staff got bored of me and went back to work, leaving me be with ‘my’ Benz.
They said this was the original spare wheel cover! It sure looked old.
I just love the shape of that bumper.
Exposed screws holding indicator. Then, I finally left the shop.
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