Celebration of The G Wagen
The G Wagen, a Mercedes-Benz vehicle characterised by its outstanding performance in tough terrain, body-on-frame construction and luxurious feel ensures that it is still going strong after 30 years. To celebrate the anniversary of the G Wagen, Compton Green Director, Adrian Butera organised a two day event last weekend which was held in Mansfield, Victoria and he extended an open invitation to owners nationwide.
Adrian’s Perspective
“The G Wagen Treffen was a huge success with over 20 G Wagens participating in the 2 day event held in Mansfield, Victoria. G Wagen owners travelled from as far as Western Australia and Queensland, including 2 Australian Defence Force Vehicles (both which were 461’s and a truly unique vehicle to Australia, a 6×6 wheeler.)
Another highlight to the weekend were the team that attended from Project Overlander which are the team that have the specialist task in MB AusPa in looking after the G Wagens for The Australian Defence Force. The Overlander Team brought 2 cars along with them, a 461 Professional and a work horse car that has the ability to be hosed out when it’s dirty on the inside. The one they brought along was matte olive in colour and had a fantastic standard feature – a walk on bonnet!
The standout at the Treffen was the 6×6 Fire truck that the Overlander team brought along which was donated by G Wagen Germany. The tray and equipment build was donated by Varley Australia (they build some of the ADF products) and is a sample test vehicle. I think there is a great chance we could see a car like this used by the SES, CFA or even DSE in the future!
The Saturday started with a ‘show n shine’ in the Mansfield Botanical Gardens and once a few locals had admired our G’s, we headed off in convoy on a 4×4 journey to Mt. Terrible for lunch. Once we had enjoyed the views and taken lots of photos we descended returning to Mansfield for some R&R before an AGOA dinner at the Old Fire Station. Once the simple formalities and thanks were over, we enjoyed the warm evening sharing G Wagen stories with our new found enthusiasts.
Day 2 commenced in the heart of town with yet another ‘show n shine,’ this time attracting more locals with more G interest.We enjoyed a scout cooked breakfast and lunch where we were joined by 50 beautiful cars from the SL register. It was an amazing weekend which will be hard to ever repeat. Thanks to all those that attended from the AGOA and MBCV.”- Adrian Butera