For Sale at Auction: 2004 Mercedes-Benz 500 in Carmel, California

Chassis No. WDB4632541X154042

Few cars have worn their original silhouette as stubbornly as the G-Class. Conceived as a military and utility machine and launched in 1979, it has kept its upright glasshouse, exposed door hinges, and slab-sided angularity across decades while everything around it softened into aerodynamic sameness. Yet while the silhouette remained steadfast, the appointments behind it grew steadily more opulent, embodied by this G 500 Cabriolet in designo specification.

The Cabriolet sat at the most distinctive end of the lineup, billed as "the world's only cross-country convertible in its class," fitted as standard with an electro-hydraulically operated soft top that opened or closed in under thirty seconds at the touch of a switch. The designo program elevated this further; as the brochure put it, the designo specialists invited buyers to choose from an extensive range of hand-crafted materials to make a G-Class "an absolute one-off," from fine leather upholstery in shades such as designo silk to wood trim in curly maple, poplar, or maple grain, and exclusive paint finishes.

G 500 Cabriolet chassis number 154042 left the factory in May 2004, finished in designo Silver Metallic and completed to designo specification. The original order sheet from Mercedes-Benz Regensburg confirms its special paintwork and unicolor designo silk leather upholstery, complemented by anthracite burred wood veneer trim and a leather-and-wood steering wheel and gear selector. Among its factory options were the black tonneau cover, a six-disc CD changer, a stainless-steel spare wheel cover, stainless-steel side steps, and ultrasonic reversing assist, while standard equipment included the black power-operated convertible soft top, a five-speed automatic transmission, heated front seats, and the COMAND control and display system. As specified, the car carried a total price of €88.977,80.

As the G 500 Cabriolet was never officially offered in the U.S., this German-market example was imported to the United States via J.K. Technologies, LLC of Baltimore, Maryland, according to a door-jamb sticker. An invoice on file from J.K. Technologies records that the federalization work was completed in February 2005, which included the replacement and programming of a new instrument cluster with a 140-mph speedometer. The accompanying CARFAX Vehicle History Report indicates that the Mercedes was sold to its first owner later that month, and traces the Cabriolet's subsequent history through Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland, with no accidents or odometer discrepancies noted.

In later years, the car was enhanced with aftermarket wheel arches, bumpers, mirrors, and later-model front fascia along with aftermarket lighting. Other appointments include front and rear parking sensors and cameras, and a side-exit exhaust with AMG-branded quad tips, and a set of 22-inch AMG cross-spoke wheels. The cabin was retrimmed in cream leather with black diamond-stitched inserts, and the entertainment system was overhauled with an aftermarket head unit, seat-mounted displays for rear occupants, and a custom subwoofer system in the cargo area.

Never sold new in the United States and now displaying 52,273 miles at the time of cataloging, this rare Cabriolet warrants close attention from collectors of the modern G-Class.