The owner of this open-top version shown here wanted his G to be modernized and a more refined 500. With this request he turned to the company SCHAWE Car Design from Waltrop in the Ruhr area, which specialises in such conversions.
TECHNICALLY UNCHANGED
With regard to the powerful V8 engine Meanwhile, under its angular bonnet and the other technical components, the G 500 Cabriolet remained in series condition. The only exception to this is the new exhaust system: It also originally comes from a G 63, so it opens prominently in front of the rear wheels and thus rounds off the AMG touch. Since the top G-Class models from Affalterbach were only offered with the long, five-door body, the rear silencer first had to be adapted to the short wheelbase.
REJUVENATION WITH LED DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS
Externally, the adjustments were relatively manageable; the most important modification is certainly the retrofitting of the LED daytime running lights placed below the round headlights. The G-Class received this with the model update in the summer of 2012. SCHAWE also underlined the refreshed look of the open-air off-roader with a new OEM wheel set: there are now AMG rims of dimension 9 under the characteristic fenders .5x19 inches
EXTENSIVE INTERIOR REFINEMENT
Meanwhile, the changes to the interior were far more complex, although these are also almost exclusively OEM-related, so many of them will probably only be noticed by absolute G-Class connoisseurs. The front seats received new foam padding in the form used on the G 63, which was therefore not available ex works for the Cabriolet. In addition, the front seats are characterized by a cover made of black and partially perforated leather with decorative stitching - also in AMG style. An exclusive special feature is that this even includes the plastic panels on the seat consoles. The rear seats as well as the center console, the dashboard and the steering wheel were also covered in leather in the same look. In addition, the interior paneling of the doors and the rear side panels received matching leather covering including inlays with diamond quilting, which in the rear are visually based on the design of the limited special model Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet. Further modifications include the Alcantara cover of the roof lining including the sun visors, the carbon coating of the wooden parts on the steering wheel as well as various other decorative elements and the SCHAWE speedometer discs. There are also AMG stainless steel door pins, an extension of the seat rails on the driver's seat to enable a comfortable seating position, and illuminated SCHAWE door sills. Additional hidden innovations include the alarm system with interior monitoring and GPS tracking with 24-hour observation via the emergency center.