This RennTech-Tuned G500 Convertible Is A Very Different G-Wagen

These days, if you want a G-Class (even in America), all you have to do is walk into a dealership and place an order. You won’t even have to choose between different body-styles, because there’s only one on offer. But wasn’t always the case.

Back in 2000 when this example was made, the Geländewagen wasn’t officially offered in the United States. You had to get it by grey-market import. And you could choose between the five-door version we have now, the short-wheelbase three-door wagon, or the short-wheelbase convertible. Like the one pictured here.

Listed for sale by Miller Motorcars out of Greenwich, Connecticut, this G500 convertible was imported by Europa International, and upgraded by the Mercedes performance specialists at RennTech. It’s said to have had an extra $80,000 in upgrades applied, with enhanced engine, brakes, and suspension bringing it up to near G55 AMG levels of specification.

The complete package is a much smaller G-Class than the new one just introduced. Its roof opens more completely than even the Maybach Landaulet‘s. And it’s supercharged, not turbocharged. Imagine if Land Rover had made a Defender 90 SVR nearly two decades ago and you wouldn’t be far off.

It’s been well worn since then, with nearly 30,000 miles on the clock (or some 47,555 kilometers). But it looks to be in pretty good condition. Interested? It carries a $221,900 asking price. That’s a heck of a big ticket, which puts it at about the same price point as the outgoing G550 4×4 (with its jacked-up suspension) or AMG G65 (with its twelve-cylinder engine). We’ve yet to see US pricing released for the new G-Wagen, but we’d expect it to come in little over half that. Then again, that’ll be a very different beast from this one.