Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

In search of the elusive Mercedes-AMG G63 6x6...

- Ian McLaren

Following the script of an edge-of-the-seat thriller, I’m the first to arrive at the desolate gravel parking area on the unpopulated side of the Western Cape’s Franschhoek Pass. The peaks of the surrounding mountains are indiscernible against the pitch-black pre-dawn sky; the hem of the thick blanket of fog covering the valley ahead clutches at my ankles as I exit my vehicle to survey the land.

The hunt for a rare, mystical beast has brought me to this location and I’m determined this is the morning I will capture it. A chorus of guttural barks erupt from the gorge behind me and I spin on my heels and squint into the darkness in anticipation of this long-awaited encounter. I stand my ground.

Slowing to acknowledge my presence, the creature’s massive footprint crunches the gravel. Its main beam pierces the fog. It is supplemented by two secondary lights mounted ridiculously high. The beast comes to a halt and I anticipate an exasperated puff of steam from unseen nostrils. Instead, I’m greeted by the familiar mechanical click of the release latch on a Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen’s door, followed by a warm smile from the owner of this special creation. “Nice morning for it,” he calls.

The idea was conceived from experience gained while supplying the Australian army with six-wheel-drive versions of its G320 CDI G-wagon. In 2013, Mercedes-Benz offered a select few of its most affluent owners the opportunity to order what would be the ultimate go-anywhere G-Class. Interest far exceeded expectation and just more than 100 left-hand-drive examples of the mighty AMG-tuned Geländewagen 6x6 departed from Magna Steyr’s Graz manufacturing facility in Austria. Simultaneously, a run of 15 Brabus-tuned right-hand-drive units was destined exclusively for Malaysia.