Brand’s Detroit Auto Show display is an old G-Class in synthetic amber.
Vehicle manufacturers are always looking for novel and dramatic ways to show off their newest and upcoming models at big auto shows. Jeep drove the original Grand Cherokee through plate glass to announce its presence to the world. Dodge had the new Demon smoke its rear tires and do a mini drag strip run at last year’s New York Auto Show. For the debut of the 2019 G-Class at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz is going with a decidedly old-fashioned approach … in more ways than one.
According to Autoblog, “The Stuttgart company will greet visitors by showcasing the first production G-Class from 1979 encased in a massive block of amber-colored synthetic resin at the entrance to Cobo Hall.”
Mercedes-Benz spent 90 days making its Jurassic Park-esque 10′ X 8′ X 18′ Detroit Auto Show installation – at the rate of about three vertical centimeters (slightly north of an inch) a day. The roughly 49-ton block is designed to show that the 2019 model, which has been facelifted inside and out, has not lost the legendary DNA of its ancestors, such as the 280 GE Mercedes has so lovingly and patiently preserved. We had the privilege of driving a 2017 G550 late last year and found it to be an absolute beast off-road, old-school tech and all. The 2019 G-Wagen may look more modern, but it’s still absolutely capable in the rough stuff. In fact, its ground clearance, fording depth, and approach and departure angle figures have increased.
Given that AMG’s hunger for power has seeped into nearly every Mercedes-Benz vehicle, it’s also important for the next G-Wagen to have plenty of power, just in case a future owner wants to go irritate Porsches like Chris Harris sets out to do in the following video instead of scale a mountain. Personally, I have no doubt that it will.
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Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
