Short for Geländewagen —which translates to “cross-country vehicle” or “SUV” — the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon first began development in 1972, with the company aiming to produce a rugged and utilitarian go-anywhere military vehicle. And while the current G-Wagon — or “G-Wagen” — is now a bonafide luxury SUV — as well as a rolling status symbol — there’s still a massive demand for original military examples like this W460-generation 240GD that’s currently being auctioned off in the UK.
This ex-military 1987 240GD was originally sold to the Singapore Army, before more recently being exported to the UK where it now resides. Presented in its original mil-spec condition, the German-built 4×4 is adorned in an OD green paint job with black trim accents. Trimmed in dark green vinyl, the interior of the 240GD features a two-bar steering wheel, folding rear seats, a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, front and rear seat belts, and rear load bay storage.
Riding on a set of black 16” steel wheels wrapped in Michelin 4×4 O/R tires, the truck also sports a locking rear differential, protective headlight grilles, front towing couplings, and a trailer hitch hook. At the heart of this classic military vehicle is a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter ‘OM616’ diesel inline-four engine that’s mated to a four-speed manual transmission and good for 71hp. Despite having left the factory three and a half decades ago, this 240GD specimen has only accumulated just over 9,000 miles over the course of its lifetime.
Located in West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom, this W460-generation 1987 Mercedes-Benz 240GD is currently being auctioned off through Collecting Cars where, as of the time of writing, bidding has reached £17,000 (~ $19,575) with less than a day left on the sale.
