Expedition Motor Company 250GD Wolf (US) review: the OG Wolf rides again

Oh look, another G-Wagen. What is this, a realtor convention?

It’s true, the long-lived Geländewagen has strayed into ludicrous ubiquity, passing the point when it was unique and different to becoming a standard-issue status accessory. While the former military vehicle retains some of its original character – either through design or attitude – we need only to look at variants like the AMG G 63 6x6 to see how far it’s strayed from its roots.

That’s an extreme example, sure, but even the current run of ‘normal’ G-Classes and the EV version are wild departures from the original.

This one aims to be a solution for those seeking to get back to the raw appeal of the classic G-Wagen, one that’s more Hinterland than Hollywood. It’s the EMC Wolf, a restored Mercedes-Benz 250GD from Expedition Motor Company.

Wow, so EMC does G-Wagen restos?

EMC restores *one* specific G-Class. The 250GD ‘Wolf’ is the convertible version of the military vehicle built with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder diesel engine and a fold down windshield. Company founder Alex Levin grew up in these and loved them so much, he started EMC to build top-notch 250GD restorations for folks with similar passions.

Alright, we’re intrigued. What’s the story?

We’ll always find rugged, practical equipment tough enough for the military to be intriguing, with the Jeep Wrangler being the most famous example. Sorry, Defender fans.

For the G, it’s the same thing but with that particular German sensibility. The classic Wolf has this in spades – ammo box, a gun mount, a built-in map light and the aforementioned fold-down windshield for easier, er, aiming. Powering it all is the OM602, a 2.5-liter straight-five diesel engine that puts out around 100hp and maybe 114lb ft of torque. Power output varies by vehicle so if you want specifics, feel free to travel back in time and dyno several military diesel trucks yourself.

That’s pretty much the case with the builds out of EMC. The company sources disused Wolfs (Wolves?) from around the world, takes them to a facility and begins the restoration process with a full breakdown. You’ll never find its facility on a map, by the way, it’s the convenient side effect of having a lot full of camouflaged vehicles.

Are all the new ones identical to the original?

Apart from certain custom requests, Alex and crew tend to stick to the original builds as possible, and even those are quite limited. Everything from the donor car is broken down, rehabilitated, and put back together while paired with a few modern components like a working HVAC and some sound absorbing materials. The ammo box even sticks around, though it’s home to the new sound system’s subwoofer instead.

Customers can either choose from an existing Wolf in the EMC inventory or build their own with the help of the website’s ‘Wolf Builder’ that displays the available interior and exterior color options, add-ons and powertrain configurations. You can go full ‘mil-sim’ and spec a murdered-out Wolf for nighttime ops, or have some joy in your life with a colorful, beach-ready G-Wagen complete with extra jump seats. All Wolfs roll away with creature comforts like that HVAC system, heated seats, a six-speaker Harman sound system and wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity.

How does it drive?

It doesn’t take long at all for the EMC Wolf to work its charms on you. We first drove one of two builds, a Sahara-colored Wolf with the naturally aspirated diesel paired with a five-speed ‘ironbox’ manual. The fully-synchronized gearbox is easy and familiar for any modern manual driver, though the lack of a tachometer did take us by surprise.

Might as well take the speedo off, too. The maybe-100hp engine isn’t built for modern highway pace and indeed takes its sweet time getting up to neighborhood limits, too. This isn’t meant as a knock, it’s very much part of the Wolf’s character, but it’s easy to see how someone used to modern G-Wagens would be put off. The EMC Wolf isn’t difficult to drive, it’s fundamentally basic, and therein lies the joy.

With the ration of power on hand, you’re hyper focused on the act of driving the G-Wagen – carrying momentum through an incline, scrutinizing bends in the road and thinking about what to do four steps ahead from now. You’re not even looking at gauges for much info, you’re listening and feeling for the car’s behavior and thus more connected to the act of driving. You quickly realize how much we take the effortlessness afforded by modern-day cars for granted.

You said that was one of two builds…

Yes, due to some arm-twisting, Expedition Motor Company does offer a couple of different engines for their Wolf builds, including a six-cylinder turbodiesel. This power unit is era-accurate and stems from the same family of diesels as the original. A conservative estimate puts the power output at around 225hp, but it’s likely more.

The Wolf with this engine was married to a five-speed automatic transmission this time around, and while it shared the charm of its more authentic sibling, the character was quite different. In short, it’s the build for folks interested in the 250GD but aren’t ‘hardcore’ about the lifestyle.

We also fibbed a bit. We drove the two builds that were on hand. There is a third engine option, a 430hp LS3 V8, which sounds like… a lot. To date, EMC has only built six.

Even so, to my original point, super-powered G-Wagen builds are a dime a dozen, and as fun as they can be, it changes the experience of what something like the 250GD offers.

Silly question: can it off road?

It’s certainly built for it, of course. How much you’d want to is another question. The Wolf has two- and four-wheel drive capability, locking diffs for both axles and multiple ranges for the transfer case since powering out of trouble isn’t going to happen. It also rides on a rugged off-road ready suspension, with the option to upgrade to one with adjustable dampers if you’re looking to get serious about it. Would you, though?

We ask because if you want to pretend you’re traversing the Ardennes, there are cheaper ways to do it. A naked build on the Expedition Motor Company’s configurator starts at $180,000. Accessories like a brush bar and a winch up the price, as does the inclusion of the automatic and, of course, the optional engine upgrades. We suppose if you’re the one paying for all of this custom craftsmanship, it’s up to you to decide. We’d be happy to let this retired service vehicle enjoy the peace of civilian life.

What’s the final takeaway?

The Expedition Motor Company’s 250GD Wolf restorations are wonderfully analog vehicles that honor the character of the original, with just enough upgrades to bring them in line with modern sensibilities. Along with giving junked military vehicles a second life, they are fun, back-to-basics rides that allow us to be romantic about our automotive past while being authentic to the experience. LS3 swap notwithstanding.

As with most cars in this category, the craftsmanship comes with a cost, but even after a short time with the ‘Wolf pack’, it’s hard to say it isn’t worth it.