California-based Mercedes-Benz G-Class customizer Pit26 Motorsports has created what it calls its most off-road-capable truck yet. It transforms Mercedes' venerable 4x4 into a high-riding, stretched pickup fully outfitted for choose-your-own-adventure day trips and overnighters. It's like a Brabus, only built for America.
Pit26 developed this particular build for a self-described lover of outdoor living looking to journey out everywhere from remote beaches to continent-topping high peaks. It started the project off with a fresh-off-the-lines Mercedes-AMG G63, leaving the high-spec luxury interior intact while going absolutely bonkers outside, from the tire contact patches to up over the roof.
As is clear from first glance, Pit26 uses the ever-popular trick of portal axles to lift the G63 nearly 6 inches (15 cm) higher off the ground, allowing it to whistle over rocks and stumps that would loudly disembowel lower, lesser Gs. And in case the truck does encounter something high enough to do damage, a beefy underbody protection package and off-road bumpers help fend off the blow.
What may or may not also be obvious from first glance, depending on the angle from which you're viewing, is that Pit26 also stretched out the wheelbase by close to 20 inches (51 cm), supporting the short pickup bed it drops directly behind the four-door cabin. The real fun of the build gets started in and above that bed, where Pit26 bolts on a large dual-bike carrier, which is also used to hold tools of the trade like a shovel, chainsaw and traction boards.
For times when off-roading and biking fun are to be measured in days, not hours, the custom roof rack is specced around securing an iKamper Skycamp Mini rooftop tent (which really should have been included in the photos for full effect). The front of the rack is adorned with a dozen KC Hi-Lite auxiliary lamps, delivering a deluge of light through the darkest of off-road backdrops.
If we went through all the trouble of having a pickup box planted on the back of our stretched G-Class, we'd want the versatility of an empty bed. But this buyer thought differently, so Pit26 wedges a dual-drawer system from Truck Vault below the bike and accessory racks, providing secure storage space. It tops that off with a Pro Eagle jack.
The rig rides on Innov8 Racing 18-in wheels, wrapped up in bulging 38x13.5R18 Toyo MT tires. Pit26 flares out the fenders to try to contain the tires but is largely unsuccessful there – those Toyos just take over most viewing angles. Bilstein coilovers help cushion the beefy rubber as the driver barrels over off-road obstacles like he's collecting points in a video game.
Just in case the owner ever tires of their mid-six-figure custom G-pickup, Pit26 has designed the package to be readily reversed back to stock. And it hasn't touched the powertrain, leaving Mercedes' 577-hp 4.0-liter biturbo V8 and AMG Speedshift TCT 9G-Tronic transmission to do their thing.
Pit26 doesn't say exactly how much the outdoorsy buyer laid out for this particular package, but it does say that its G-Wagen builds start at US$385,000. Nothing about this one seems base level, so we're guessing it ended up well north of that figure.
Source: Pit26 Motorsports