Driven: Can't Stand Overpowered V8 Restomods? EMC's Mercedes-Benz Wolf is Your Chariot

If you're after that, let us introduce you to Alex Levin. He's the founder and project manager at a little restomod shop called Expedition Motor Company. Founded in 2017 in the cozy nook of Frenchtown, New Jersey, the much-beloved classic short-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz 250GD Wolf takes its ultimate form behind these walls. If you're the kind of person that A, resents what the modern G-Wagen is nowadays, and B, is one of those who doesn't need an LS in their life, Alex and his team have one banger of a sales pitch.

In truth, some younger American gearheads might not even know the G-Wagen was ever anything but a baller's dream car. Well, without explaining the history of the West German Army after World War II, it's safe to call the 1990 to 1993 short-wheelbase Mercedes Benz 250GD Cabriolet with the fold-down windshield the most desirable among the breed without an AMG badge. Better known as the Wolf in German military circles, these G-Wagens are so far removed from what the moniker became in the 21st century that they might as well be two different species.

But that doesn't mean these bare-bones, genuine utility 4x4s can't accommodate a few more layers of refinement. It's this goal, done to the highest engineering standards possible by a small shop, that's the single solitary objective of each craftsperson under EMC's roof. From reserves of 250GD bodies and rolling chassis stored off-site at an undisclosed location, EMC takes these hulks and strips them down to the bare body and chassis before meticulously de-rusting everything, re-painting it, and putting it all back together.

From there, EMC fits the interior with plush, high-quality upholstery, polished wood trim pieces, a banging sound system with all the fixings, and a center touchscreen infotainment system to become as close to contemporary as a 250GD Wolf has ever been. Chuck in a fresh Mercedes diesel engine and your choice of a manual or automatic gearbox, and you've got yourself a package with many of the creature comforts of a modern G-Wagen but all the charm of the timeless classic Wolf. If that sounds like your idea of restomod heaven, we're just getting started.

The untrained eye might not distinguish the qualities that make an EMC Wolf any different from what a 250GD fresh from the factory 30 years ago would've looked like. One thing's for sure, these restomods are far more stately and less ostentatious than their modern counterparts. With 20 different paint colors to choose from, including a few the EMC team devised themselves, there are enough choices of paint, trim options, and other little goodies to leave most feeling totally satisfied. That afternoon, an automatic model in white metallic paint and dark brown leatherette interior with a full soft top was our chariot for the afternoon.

Still, we felt that its stick-shift sister car, in a striking China Blue color with a dark brown interior, was the more photogenic of the two. With optional extras like EMC-spec metal steps, a front bull bar, a nifty snorkel kit, and a custom winch bumper with matching Warn winch, this is a vehicle that screams rugged machismo in a way a modern G-Class simply doesn't. If a modern G-Wagon is built for 21 Savage and Lil Baby, an EMC Wolf is tailor-made for Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan. It has a different feel and vibe altogether, but it has a very similar price tag. Then again, it's probably a little unfair to compare one of these to a modern G-Class.

This was a notion that was completely clear when you opened the delightful mechanical door handle of a classic Wolf. Satisfying, tactile door handles like this are almost unheard of in modern SUVs. At this point, you'll realize how handy the optional sidestep beneath the door is in getting in and out of this rig. That's all right before you settle into a leatherette seat covering that's surprisingly plush for not being genuine bovine skin. Though basic in its execution, the fit and finish of the interior left nothing to be desired.

If your expectations aren't distorted by modern notions about what a car should feel like to sit in, this is nothing short of a cozy place to spend a short road trip. But just in case you needed more proof of how different modern G-Wagens are from their ancestors, simply turn the key. You won't hear the roar of an AMG twin-turbo V8 leviathan but rather a 2.5-liter, five-cylinder Mercedes-Benz OM602 diesel engine that was underpowered even in its heyday. Just 84 stampeding horsepower was all you could muster out of this engine, albeit with 114 lb-ft of low-end torque to work with.

With power figures that puny, you'll need every bit of that torque. Thankfully, with EMC's complete engine rebuild with fresh head bolts, oil pump, and timing belt, these universally reliable German engines are ready for another half a million miles of use, but most likely not much more power, if any. Surprisingly, an EMC Wolf is anything but a bore to drive. On startup, that distinct trundle of a German short-stroke diesel engine invites you to take things easy and enjoy all the road feel of a classic SUV, which is how these kinds of trucks have felt most at home for decades. Around parking lots and back roads at slow speeds, that big steering wheel gives enough leverage for you to turn this nimble little 4x4 with ease.

Updated urethane suspension bushings and fresh BF Goodrich KO2 all-terrain tires are other critical factors. However, getting up to speed on a public road is a bit more complicated. It's hard to describe just how slow a classic Wolf is without being in the driver's seat. But for some context, I drive a Mitsubishi Mirage as a daily driver. Also known as the most pathetically underpowered passenger car still on sale in North America today, and Doug DeMuro's personal punching bag. We're not pulling your leg when we tell you this Wolf made a Mirage feel like a sports car in its acceleration.

An EMC Wolf can indeed hit 60 mph eventually, but you'll be far closer to 30 seconds on the stopwatch than you are to ten by the time it gets there. To help squeeze as much performance out of this brutish and reliable but lackluster engine, EMC's team of mechanics programmed an automatic downshift feature into the car's ECU tune that helps keep the engine in the power band for as long as possible. Once the travel on the accelerator pedal reaches a pre-programmed position, this change-down kicks in automatically. You'll often use that downshift function up steep hills and even moderate inclines.

But will you catch us complaining about the lack of speed? Ha! Not a chance. Because, unlike the LT1-swapped K5 that we drove a few months ago, the slow-docile nature of this Wolf doesn't make you soil your pants every time you mash your foot on the throttle. If anything, flooring it is an MO for driving an EMC Wolf restomod. If you're driving style is prone flooring it like SpongeBob SquarePants in boating school, this'll be an absolute treat. It's the only way you'll be able to keep up with motorway traffic without forming a literal traffic jam in your wake. But through it all, even as we struggled to make our way up especially steep hills, you won't find a single moment behind the wheel during our test where we weren't smiling.

With easy-going road manners, tactile and satisfying interior switches and buttons, added sound-proofing, and a bumping Harman sound system linked to a Pioneer infotainment screen with AppleCar Play, there's a wonderful blend of old and new tech shoehorned in each square foot of these builds. As the cherry on the cake, the fit and finish are also pretty spot on. Remember that EMC can even fabricate custom electronics boxes out of sheet metal, which bolt into the floor to carry heavy speakers and audio equipment underneath the rear seats. When added to the custom-painted metal spade under the hood next to the engine, and the NATO spec water/fuel can mounted on the rear, there are plenty of Knick-knacks and doohickeys included with an EMC build to immerse yourself in the mindset of a true Geländenwagen.

In short, you can really tell that a minimum of 2,300 hours worth of work goes into every one of the restomoded 250GDs that leave company retail space. To believe that this took place over a roughly 16-week build period is nothing short of astonishing. Owing to an intense multipoint post-production quality assurance inspection process after each build is complete, it's safe to say your restomod will leave the factory running trouble-free. With a one-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, you should be well taken care of, even if the engine is notorious for running for millions of miles trouble-free. Is it worth the slightly buzzy, noisy cockpit, paper-thin door cards, and the occasional noxious diesel aroma wafting off it every so often?

Well, the ice-cold HVAC system from Vintage Air certainly sweetened the pot when the weather got particularly oppressive that afternoon. Seriously, it felt like a contemporary OEM AC system. It was a welcome sign during one of the hottest days of the year so far; that's not in doubt. Yes, the wind in your hair might be more expedient at cooling you down. Still, the fact that all this refinement is being retroactively fitted to such an archaic dinosaur of a 4x4 is why this is one of the most interesting restomods on sale today. We trundled through Frenchtown and found backroads to take pictures on, the supreme balance between old and new tech in a way that was obvious to all involved.

All in all, an EMC Wolf is one of the most unique restomods currently available off-the-shelf in North America. It may not win races like, literally ever. But you will get dopamine and serotonin racing through your system like the Indy 500 stepping inside one of these trucks. It's for this reason that the $178,650 price tag for the stick-shift China Blue EMC Wolf or $197,750 for the white automatic isn't the worst deal in the world. You could buy a G63 AMG on an all-new W464 chassis for around the same money. But let's keep it real. This EMC restomod will still be chugging along far after its AMG grandchild is stricken in the repair shop with engine-out requirements for jobs that would've taken just an hour or so with other brands.

EMC's steady sales pace over the last few years gives evidence that others out there feel the same way about the Wolf being a more genuine representation of what the G-Wagen was always meant to be. In a nutshell, this refinement, clever engineering, and authenticity make an EMC build as valuable as a brand-new AMG straight from Merc. After spending a couple of hours getting to terms with the particulars of driving an old G-Wagen, I'd say this authenticity is worth its weight in gold. When weighing these positive factors against the nagging issue of it being so slow, a bit of patience and a healthy dose of respect for history could make an otherwise annoyingly slow car all the more enjoyable. It's a 4.75 out of 5 score every day of the week.

Congratulations to Alex and the entire EMC team for putting together one of the most compelling restomod stories we've seen in years. Check out their website right here if you want to learn more. But what do you all think? Is a brand-new G63 AMG a better investment? Or are you charmed to bits by a restomod Wolf like we were? Let us know in the comments down below.