The Pit26 G Class Pickup: Form and Function
Tracing back to its very origins as a military contract vehicle designed for remote operation in austere environments, the beloved Mercedes-Benz G Class has often been offered to civilians with a pickup bed as an available option from time to time. Because the G Class first made its official debut on the Mercedes lots in the United States in 2001, it seems as though these utilitarian pickups were never federalized for sale in the states.
And so, American buyers interested in the ultimate utilitarian G Class, complete with a pickup bed, have to make do with older imports (such as Doug Demuro’s famous G500 Cabriolet), or an ultra-exclusive, custom offering from the likes of Brabus, Himalaya, or Mansory. Recently, a newcomer to the scene, PIT26 Motorsports, unveiled a new entry in the interesting history of G Class trucks with pickup beds.
Who is PIT26 Motorsports?
PIT26 Motorsports is based out of sunny southern California and is the brainchild of Samuel Shaaya. In his words, “I wanted my luxury SUVs to look and perform more like my trucks, pre-runners, and rock crawlers. I wanted the prestige of Beverly Hills and performance inspired by Baja, Dakar, etc.” PIT26 builds bespoke creations along these performance-inspired lines and works with a top-tier team of designers and fabricators to create truly one-of-a-kind creations.
A First Look at the PIT26 G Class
Upon first gazing at the PIT26 G Class, you’ll notice something a little bit different about this build compared to others. There’s no fragile, ornate carbon fiber hanging off the truck from every angle. There’s no crazy badging, or ostentatious, anodized accents, either. Instead, your eyes will pick up on these details: an intricate, custom tube front bumper (with a winch hiding inside), durable black powder coating everywhere, handsome-looking extended fender flares, and Baja-approved wheels and rims.
While the complete package looks as exclusive and well-put-together as you’d expect, this vehicle was clearly designed with far more of a performance slant than most other creations of similar nature on the market today. Let’s take a closer look at everything that’s been done to this Mercedes, as we’ll see that form really does follow function in this case.
Built for Go and for Show
The major talking point is obviously going to be the addition of a full-size bed, effectively turning this G 63 into a crew-cab pickup. In order to accomplish this, the PIT26 team had to extend the frame itself by 20 inches. This seems to be the magic number to build a G Class pickup, as the Brabus 800 Adventure XLP also saw the frame lengthened by the exact same amount in order to accommodate a pickup bed. It’s not a simple cut-and-weld job, though, as there are some other significant upgrades that can be found on the pickup upon closer look.
This truck also receives the highly desirable Mercedes portal axles, a feature commonly associated with the ultimate OEM G Class, the 4×4 Squared. In a nutshell, these axles use a system of gears to transfer power to the wheels, so they don’t have to be in-line with the center of the wheels like traditional axles. This is enough to increase the entire vehicle clearance by a few inches over a traditional solid axle setup, and is only seen these days on ultra-capable, purpose-built off-roading rigs, as well as actual military vehicles like the Humvee.
These portal axles enable tire sizes of up to a whopping 38”, and power a choice of two wheels: bespoke 20-inch faux beadlocks, or 18-inch INnov8 racing wheels. Those who plan to spend more time on the dunes than on the pavement may prefer the smaller 18” wheels, while those looking for more of a street presence will likely choose the larger rims. So yes – those large, sculpted fender flares aren’t just for looks in the slightest, and they cozy up to the Toyo All-Terrain tires with the perfect amount of disegno. All in all, these bring the total amount of ground clearance to about 18.5 inches, which is even more than the old G500 4×4 Squared can boast.
Other tweaks to the suspension include custom control arms (upper and lower) and Bilstein shocks all around; these Bilsteins are an incredibly popular choice, for good reason, among the desert cruisers and dune bombers in the area of the West where PIT26 calls home. They provide damping for the increased suspension travel, and the durability needed to make the most of the capabilities of this particular G 63. Finally, another custom bumper sits at the rear of the truck and serves as a carrier for the full-size spare tire.
Finishing Touches
The car is sprayed in a gorgeous, dark gunmetal gray that will look equally at home in Beverly Hills or the Alabama Hills. Other elements of the final assembly are all performed with genuine Mercedes parts, including the interior. While no photos and scant details of the interior have been released, it seems as though it will remain fairly close to OEM specifications. Another thing that will remain as the factory created it is the power plant: the biturbo, 4.0L V8 is still good for 577 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. Finally, other options included on the first edition of the G 63 are the classic retractable steps, a roof rack with a matching tent, and a dual bike carrier.
The Perfect G 63?
It’s been said a few times before, but we mean it this time, too: if you’re looking for the ultimate G Class that’s ready to tackle any adventure, and comes with a pickup bed and four doors to boot, the PIT26 G 63 may be just the thing you’re looking for. With a starting price of $385,000, PIT26 is competing against industry heavyweights like Brabus and Mansory. It’s said that over 1,100 hours of labor (which is well over four months of workdays) go into each G 63, and with that kind of effort and attention to detail, it seems likely we’ll be covering new G Class creations from PIT26 for years to come.
