G-Wagen Truck? Yup—Driving This Custom Mercedes-AMG G63 Pickup Is Wild

Transforming a boxy SUV into a pickup is no easy task. The crew at Pit26 starts by cutting the G-Wagen's frame just behind the rear seats. The chassis is then extended, which increases the vehicle's wheelbase by nearly 20 inches (508 mm, to be exact). Then the cab is enclosed using as much of the factory sheetmetal as possible. A new pickup bed is custom-built in-house and features a tubular roll bar reminiscent of Mercedes' factory AMG 6x6 production truck. It gets bolted on to the extended frame, and the inside of the cargo box is sprayed with a protective coating from Line-X. The beds are currently a traditional metal construction, but the company says more exotic and lighter materials such as carbon fiber are coming soon.

Underneath the bodywork, this AMG G63 received extensive mechanical upgrades. The most prominent of these is the addition of custom portal gear-reduction boxes from Austrian manufacturer GForce Engineering. The portal boxes feature a mechanical gear reduction of 1.26:1 allowing Pit26 to adapt to the larger tire size while retaining the factory axle gearing, which is necessary as alternate ratio ring and pinion sets for Mercedes-Benz G-Class are almost impossible to find.

Bolting the custom portal boxes to the G-Wagen not only increases the track width significantly, 4.5 inches per side, but also provides nearly 6 inches (150 mm) of lift. That increase in ride height allows enough space to fit the massive 38x13.50R18 Toyo MT mud-terrain tires, which is a huge increase from the AMG G63's 31-inch-diameter factory rubber. Ground clearance nearly doubles to more than 18 inches, with 9 inches attributed to the portal boxes and tires. To put this in perspective, that's enough clearance to confidently drive right over—and clear—a standard 5-gallon bucket. Hand-built extended fender flares, which cost upward of $5,000 each, keep the wide tires covered.

For those G-Wagen owners looking for the performance of the recently announced 2023 Mercedes-AMG 4x42 without trading in or chopping up their current vehicle, Pit26 says it'll be offering the independent suspension portal boxes separate from its custom builds soon.

Pit26 doesn't just build the G-pickup conversions for romps down Rodeo Drive; these vehicles have the chops to hit the trail without the trail hitting back. The truck's suspension has been beefed up with custom upper and lower control arms along with stronger steering knuckles. A unique subframe reinforces the front suspension mounting points. Out back, the factory rear suspension links are replaced with high-strength units, and the axle is trussed. Providing a smooth and controlled ride are a set of Bilstein 2.65-inch coilover shocks with piggyback reservoirs.

Offering protection should a wayward piece of trail debris find its way into contact with the vehicle are a pair of heavy-duty skidplates. These aluminum guardians protect the most vital components, including the truck's steering, lower radiator, and engine oil pan. A custom-fabricated front bumper offers protection for the G-Wagen's side-mounted oil coolers, which historically prove to be the vehicle's Achilles' heel off-road. Behind the bumper is a Warn recovery winch. The vehicle's low-hanging factory entry steps have been removed in favor of custom "full tuck" AMP Research power steps, which retract flush with the body when not in use. Also nixed are the G63's signature side-exit exhaust tips, which themselves are vulnerable to trail damage. Instead, a high-clearance exhaust system from Magnaflow is utilized.

If it's simply a G63 pickup as described that you're looking for, Pit26 can do that. However, on top of the standard pickup build the company will outfit a build any way the owner sees fit. In this case, this owner aspired for the ability to head off into the wilderness for days, or longer, at a time. So a rugged overland build was in the cards. A custom low-profile roof rack was constructed. Lighting up the darkness are 12 KC Hi-Lites Era LED off-road lights in a combination of flood and spot beam patterns. The rack also features a custom adapter system for attaching and quickly removing an iKamper Skycamp Mini rooftop tent.

Although 20-inch wheels are standard for Pit26 pickup builds, this vehicle utilizes optional 18-inch Innov8 Racing G600 simulated beadlocks. The smaller-diameter wheels result in more tire sidewall, which is great for trail duty. However, they also require the use of a smaller brake package, which is sourced from a non-AMG G550. The increase in tire sidewall far outweighs the slight degradation to stopping performance. A full-size and matching spare tire is mounted on a swing gate on the truck's custom high-clearance rear bumper. In the bed is a storage system from Truck Vault, with Pit26's universal gear mounting system affixed on top. Also located in the bed are a ProEagle off-road jack, Maxtrax recovery boards, and provisions to transport a shovel, axe, chainsaw, and more. Finally, being an avid mountain biker, this truck's owner opted for a pair of bed-mounted bike racks.

From the outside, the Pit26 Motorsports Mercedes-AMG G63 pickup is a wild and crazy creation. However, there are a few areas the company opts to leave factory standard. Under the hood is the original Mercedes-AMG twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine. Pumping out 577 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, the company has found no reason to jeopardize the reliability of the hand-crafted engine by bumping output. And with the gear reduction offered by the portal boxes, the truck has more than enough torque to handily move its heft down the road. The factory nine-speed automatic transmission also remains, along with the standard two-speed transfer case and locking differentials.

The vehicle's interior remains untouched from the C-pillar forward—which is perfectly fine as this latest generation of G-Wagen (2019 to 2023) features all of the modern comforts one would expect from Mercedes-Benz, including a massive, 12.3-inch infotainment screen and additional 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The truck's Active Multicontour front seats are a nice touch on twisty trails, and the massaging feature is appreciated when a day in the dirt is complete. The abundance of real wood, leather, metal, and carbon fiber make the G-Class interior a wonderful place to luxuriate, so there was no reason to fuss with it. Special care has also been taken to ensure that as many of the standard safety and convenience features that come with the G-Class, such as active brake assist, adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, and more, remain functional. After all, the last thing you want in your nearly $400,000 G-Class is a dash full of warning lights.

It's not every day we get handed the keys to a $385,000 pickup, and it's an even rarer occurrence for that vehicle's owner to not just allow but also encourage a bit of hardcore off-roading. From behind the wheel the first thing that's noticeable is just how tall the truck sits. Thankfully, the G-Wagen's sloping hood allows for fantastic forward visibility. At about 87 inches wide, measured at the outside of the tires, the Pit26 G-Wagen pickup is as wide as a Ram TRX, which reduces the standard G-Wagen's maneuverability substantially. But we'd deal with that for the considerable increase in capability that the portal boxes provide. With more than a foot and a half of ground clearance, rocks and ruts are no worry for this pickup, and thanks to the 1.26:1 gear reduction there's no perceived power loss from the massive 38-inch tires. The truck's long wheelbase, about 134 inches, and enormous amount of articulation allow it to confidently climb steep obstacles while the trio of locking differentials ensure that nothing else can stop the truck. We found the Bilstein shocks did a great job of damping out stutter bumps and small jitters, but with limited wheel travel it's not going to be a Baja whoop slayer. (The team at Pit26 might have one of those in the works, though, with sights set on the fabled Baja 1000 off-road race. Stay tuned.)

The simple truth is, there just aren't a ton of options for those looking for a G-Wagen pickup. And none of them are easy on the pocketbook. What Pit26 Motorsports has created is a truly unique vehicle that not only retains the rugged styling, interior elegance, and brute power of the Mercedes-AMG G63 but also improves its off-road performance significantly. The team's passion and craftsmanship show through in each one-of-a-kind build, creating a unique vehicle that even the most discerning client would be proud to own.