Rare 4×4 Drop Top: 1990 Mercedes-Benz GE300

When consumers decide something that was formerly reserved for military use is suddenly fashionable, it’s amazing to see how quickly said item goes from defense industry apparatus to suburban mall crawler. The G-Class Mercedes-Benz is a perfect example of this, as this utilitarian 4×4 was always intended to be used primarily by the military before importers started bringing them to the United States. Once that happened, this triple-locked SUV was legally imported and sold here by Mercedes,with one exception:the two-door convertible,which remains a piece of forbidden fruit.

The G500 Cabriolet is a vehicle that embodies a very cool concept, which is that of an SUV with a convertible roof. Of course, it is not a new idea, going back to the likes of the Dodge Dakota convertible and the classic Suzuki Samurai and Geo Tracker twins. But like everything with the three-pointed star on the hood, the cost to own a G500 Cabriolet is significantly higher than your average Sidekick. The G-Class does come with a fair amount of off-road hardware, however, and has proven to be fairly overbuilt. After all, it’s still a military vehicle underneath all that bling.

There’s also a strong justification for that price tag: when you shop for a 4×4 with a removable roof, there are numerous compromises you have to make, and most of them have to do with low-rent interiors and wet noodle structural rigidity. Not so with the G-Class, which has all the luxury trimmings inside that Mercedes is known for, and a shell that is bank-vault solid with far less scuttle shake than in something like a Sidekick. The truck shown here wears desirable Signal Red paint paired with a biscuit interior, which makes for a very handsome combination. Mileage is reportedly 86,000, and the truck looks far cleaner than those miles would suggest.

Most of the G-Class models sold in the U.S. through your local dealer, a tried-and-true W113 V8 was the standard engine. Of course, we’ve seen numerous gray-market Mercedes over the years come stateside with a powerful six-cylinder engine not offered in domestic models. This G-Wagon cabriolet is equipped with a 3-liter, I6 cylinder engine that produces 168 HP and 140 lb-ft of torque, following a tradition we’ve seen in numerous R107 cabriolets that come in from overseas with a beefy six under the hood. This G300 comes with its factory hardtop and is listed here on craigslist for $87,500 on Long Island. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the find.