1939 Mercedes-Benz G4 Offroader

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1936 model

What you see here on the photo is a very rare RHD G4 delivered to the China!! 

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Owned by a French collector

The car is not longer in France, it was owned by Mister Lecoq, the car is now in the Collection of William Lyon.

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The G 4 is allways causing a lot of confusion, through the years I,ve become a specialist on this theme and have been more often asked to help solve difficult matters about the G 4.
Starting with just a very few G1 (Gelände in German) vehicles in 1926, Daimler-Benz was to produce a line of 3-axle cross-country cars intended for the German Armed Forces.
The G3 was introduced in late 1928.Daimler-Benz began to discuss a new and improved version of the 6-Cylinder G3 allready in March 1931, using the designation G4 for this new project, aiming at futher development of a design suitable to the armed forces and competitive when compared yo the offerings put forward by the other.German manufactures of military cross-country vehicles. For some reasen the works were already in May 1931 asked by a representative of the Armed Forces to use the designation G3a instead of G4 from then on. The G3a was introduced in 1933 and it was produced up to 1938.
The G4 designation would instead be used for cross-country passenger equipped with the 8-cilinder 5 litre and 5,4 litre type engine, in this case without supercharger as in the 500K and 540K modells. Driven on both rear axles this vehicle had 4-wheel drive in a sense, but there was never a version produced driving on the front wheels.
Intended for use by the German government, The Party and the Armed Forces only,the G4 was never offered for sale to the public. Introduced in 1934 it was produced throughout the 1930s and right up to 1943, being continually modified, improved, rebuild, rebodied and armoured.
Weigting about 4,5 tons fully laden and ready for duty, the G4 was still put to extremely hard work and had to sustain very trying conditions during the war. In reality too heavy and much too slow ( with a 67 km/h top speed ), it was contrary to what is sometimes claimed- never futher developed with six-wheel drive. This perhaps explains why the only fifty-seven examples ever produced.
Today there are only four of G4s known to exist.
One is the car to see in the movie "Die Nacht der Generäle" later known as the Frensch Lecoq car, today it is from the collection Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas but is now in the William Lyon Collection , it has the chassis number 440875.
A other G4  is the car with the number 406528 known as the grey car from Hogan Heroes , today the G4 is restored. sold in Germany and now in a private collection in England.
In Germany is also a G4 in the Auto&Technik Museum in Sinsheim , It is also a Offener Tourenwagen, chassis number 406530. The complete body is new, original the car has a closed body. A shame !!!!.
It was used by the  Reichs Post and later as a firebrigadecar in Prague.
A very nice G4 was at the Mercedes-work for a ground up restauration, it is the G4 Offener Tourenwagen , ch nr 440881 delivered to Spain in 1939, it was a gift to Franco.
The black G3a for Sale  for a long time now is a Fake , a product of a german that build a Offener-Tourenwagen Body on a G3a Truck chassis that was found in Scandinavian. It likes very good , but it did never exist.
From the G4 ( W 31- W 131 ) are produced a total of 57.
Offener Tourenwagen 49 ,Funk Wagen ( Communications car ) 7 , Gepäck Wagen ( Luggage car ) 1.
The vallue to day: millions!!!!!!
One Mercedes-Benz G4 has RHD., build with the rare number U 142176 and was ordered by the Oberkommando d Heeres from China. 
     

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Daimler-Benz tested the first cross-country G4 in 1934.The design was based on the experiences that the company had with the previous cross-country vehicle, the G3a.
But the G4 was far too heavy and, becouse of this, was never really a usable cross-country vehicle, even if it was better than, for instance, the Grosser Mercedes type 770. It was however, constantely used in parades and as staff car.
In 1935, Daimler-Benz stated that the G4 was intended for "Staat,Partei und Wehrmacht", which means "The government, the party, and the armed forces". The G4 became known to many, not as a cross-country car, but as the big, imposing, and exlusive vehicle that Hitler and his government used. All were Offener Tourenwagens, apart from the 7 radio communications vehicles and the only build luggage car.
The closed luggage G4 was often a part of Hitler's convoy.The radio communications cars, also often a part of Hitlers's convoy.
The closed radio communication G4 has a rooftop arrangement for the antenna and no step in the rear wing, as this was not necessary on a closed car. They were in use by the "Reichspost", with RP numbers on the cars.
Most of the G4s stayed in Germany, but a few were sent abroad. One was sent to Spain in 1939, as a gift to General Franco, an other was going to the OKH of China . Ordered under the number RB 103 104 with the ch nr U142176.
In the USA are brand new Replicas of all the three Modells of the G4, they use the original closed body as example from the only orginal radio comminication G4, that has today a Offener Tourenwagen replica body and is in Sinsheim Germany. a shame. !!

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http://www.historicautoattractions.com/Pages/hitler.html

Here a complete fake !!!

New built replica of a Mercedes-Benz G4, a shame !

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http://www.worldwarcars.com/

Nice to see but it has nothing to do with the original G4 or Mercedes-Benz!!

[Des]

Thanks as always for your excellent information Hans!



Kind Regards
Des

[Des]

two more photos:

[Des]

1939 Mercedes G 4

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It is a new replica and it is not a Mercedes-Benz G4, Hans