Here’s How Mercedes Encased a 1979 G-Class ‘Jurassic Park’ Style

G-Wagen ‘Jurassic Park’ like display took almost 8,900 hours and a ton of artificial resin.

Leading up to the introduction of the next generation Mercedes-Benz G-Class at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, the German automaker crafted what they called “The Amber Cube.” This is an original G-Wagen encased in a huge block of artificial amber, taking a cues from filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park to create a truly unique piece of automotive artwork.

The video above comes from the official Mercedes-Benz YouTube channel. The German car company offers us a quick look at the making of the 52-ton artwork featuring an original 1979 G-Class and a whole lot of epoxy resin.

Jurassic Park G-Class

The 2019 model year will introduce the world to the newest generation of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, but the first version of the famous G-Wagen debuted back in 1979 and the genetics of the newest version can be traced back to the original. In the movie series Jurassic Park, scientists were able to recreate dinosaurs using the genetic material that they found sealed in ancient amber. While we aren’t likely to find a 1979 Mercedes cloaked in fossilized tree sap, the folks from Daimler decided to create their own fossil of the G-Class with some inspiration from the popular movie series.

As the video above shows with help from Daimler-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche, where nature uses actual amber to preserve genetics, the German automaker used epoxy resin colored to look like natural amber. The result is an eye-catching piece of automaker artwork that turned heads during the Detroit Auto Show back in January.

Amber Cube

While there is no actual amber in this massive piece of automotive artwork, there is 10,753 gallons of epoxy resin that has been dyed the proper amber shade. After the 1979 Mercedes G-Class was carefully balanced on its passenger side, the team slowly built a box around the old school SUV, adding layers of epoxy to fill the graduated walls of the box. They assembled the resin block a few inches at a time, allowing the resin to settle without any bubbles or imperfections before adding the walls for the next few inches.

Over the course of 8,892 hours, the team surrounded and filled the 1979 Mercedes-Benz 280 GE in the artificial amber, creating a piece of cube art that weighs some 52 tons. Once completed, the piece was lifted by a crane and set on its “wheels”, where it was packaged up and shipped to Detroit for the debut of the 2019 G-Class.

The “amber cube” was positioned outside of the front of Detroit’s Cobo Hall, where attendees were invited to check it out and share pictures on social media.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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