This Coachbuilt G-Wagen Convertible Looks Like A Million Bucks, Sold For Just $72,800

Image: Bonhams

Coinciding with this weekend’s Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and taking advantage of the fact that a bunch of rich car folks would be in town, Bonhams held a high-end car auction. The results were, uh, not great, but one lot in particular was truly unique, and managed to find a new home. The only 1996 Heuliez Intruder Convertible crossed the block and went for a somewhat reasonable $72,800. At first glance this might look like a lifted SL-Class or something, but you might be surprised to learn it’s a totally unique coachbuilt body on a G-wagen chassis.

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Image: Bonhams

Under this wild-looking skin is a normie-spec G320. It’s got a gas M104 twin-cam inline-six engine, known for its indefatigable bulletproofness. The Intruder also cribs the G’s automatic transmission, transfer case, solid front and rear axles, locking differentials in triplicate, and a foot of ground clearance. Some minor suspension modifications were affected in-period to account for the car’s weight difference compared to a standard G, but otherwise it should be able to go anywhere off road that a G can go. Which is to say everywhere, man.

This car was so far ahead of the curve, it must have looked like it came straight from outer space in 1996. The LED exterior lighting was way ahead of the trends, and the Marc Deschamps-designed carbon-and-steel bodywork predated many similar Mercedes designs. I can see some SLS AMG in the rear haunches. It’s maybe not the prettiest car in the world, but it’s fairly sleek for having been based on a car with the design of a brick.

Image: Bonhams

Louis Heuliez Carrosserie is based in France, because of course it is. The bright blue leather interior should have been the dead giveaway. There’s no other country in the world capable of this level of weirdness. Well, maybe Japan.

Allegedly this car was recently treated to a complete frame-off restoration that ran the seller in the realm of $300,000. To sell for less than one third of that is likely not a positive outcome for the seller. The buyer got a hell of a car for not that much money, honestly. Consider, for a moment, that a regular G320 is going to cost you something like $32,000 anyway, why not pony up an extra forty grand to have the only one in the world? Good buy.