The Old Versus The New. Again.

One of the most recognised Mercedes-Benz products is the G-Wagen, or Geländewagen, for cross-country vehicle. Herculean in its robustness and solidarity, it wears its exposed hinges on its sleeve and has continued in production for civilian use since 1979, with military variants being available before even then. Hardly changed externally in all those years, the Steyr-assembled vehicle has been given another lease of life and construction will continue into its fourth decade.

Thing is, as phenomenal a car as it is (and it really is), it’s just a bit hardcore for many. Like the Land Rover Defender, sturdy and heroic as it is, some people just want a little more luxury. And no matter how soft your leather is or how many buttons there are to press, luxury and brutality are uneasy bedfellows.

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The Monster Retreats.

The Automotive world has a rich history of imitation, emulation, inspiration and outright forgery. Back in the seventies the Rover SD1 famously borrowed aspects of the Ferrari 365GTB/4, a successful endeavour which led to one of the most striking regular cars of the decade. At around that time De Tomaso were obviously dead keen on the Jaguar XJ6 as the lines of the Deauville demonstrated, and fifteen years later Toyota realised that the only way to beat the Germans at their own game was to base their product on a tried and tested formula. They chose the Mercedes S-Class and the resulting brand, Lexus, has been spectacularly successful.

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