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Which current Mercedes-Benz model range has enjoyed a forty-year production history? It is, of course, the G-Class, yet it is still hard to believe that the first examples were launched in 1979. The origins of the G-Wagen, as it was first known, dates from 1972 when Daimler-Benz signed Steyr-Daimler-Puch of Austria to create the Geländewagen (cross country vehicle), a 4WD vehicle capable of rivalling the Land Rover, Range Rover and Toyota Landcruiser.  

The design brief was exacting – the new model had to serve as a workhorse for armed forces and farmers, an off-roader for the well-heeded and a road car with equal élan. It had to be robust, easy to repair and with styling that would not date.

In short, Project W460 was to be a machine where function dictated form, and so it featured a ladder-type chassis, and 100 per cent differential locks. Drive to the front wheels could be manually selected and the transfer case was all-synchromesh. A prototype was completed in the following year, and the G-Wagen was tested across the world.

However, the decision to enter production was not made until 1975 and in that year the Shah of Iran – who was then a major DB shareholder – placed an order for 20,000 vehicles although this was cancelled post Revolution. Steyr-Daimler-Puch’s Graz operations were expanded to accommodate G-Wagen productions where it would be made by hand.

The official launch took place at the 1979 Geneva Motor Show, although you would have to wait until August of that year to buy one. The G-Wagen was available in short or long wheelbase guise, and it could be specified with a variety of bodies from open two-door to the four-door estate.

There was a choice of four engines – 2.4-litre and 3.0-litre diesel and 2.3-litre and 2.8-litre petrol. As for the five colour choices, the G-Wagen looked equally good in “Colorado Beige”, “Carmine Red”, “Cream-White”, “Wheat Yellow” or “Agave Green”.

The G-Wagen was sold as a Puch in Austria, Switzerland and behind the Iron Curtain; it would not be until as recently as 2000 that it was marketed across the world as a Mercedes-Benz. Despite its potential as military transport, the G-Wagen was not initially used by the German army as at the time they preferred the Volkswagen Iltis. You were more likely to encounter the Mercedes-Benz serving with the Border Police or in the garage of a wealthy landowner.

The coachwork was the antithesis of flamboyant, but that did not deter AMG from creating the 280 GE 5.6 Sport, with a cabin trimmed in Rosewood and leather. A gold front grille - from the W123 - was possibly ill-judged but the Sport was an early anticipation of future customised G-Wagens.

RHD G-Wagens became available in 1981 and in the UK, where virtually any Mercedes-Benz was an exotic machine, it was not a cheap proposition. When Autocar evaluated the entry-level SWB two-door 300 GD in 1981, the price was £13,560, making it slightly costlier than a Range Rover and nearly £3,000 more expensive than a Land Cruiser.

A provincial Flash Harry – think scrap metal dealer or pub landlord - could have opted for the Jeep Cherokee Chief for £11, 371 while a Subaru 1800 Estate would have set you back just £5,980. And, if you did not mind an LHD off-roader, the Lada Niva was available for £4,570.

But, as the test concluded, ‘the ability of the Mercedes-Benz puts it among the best of them all for ultimate cross-country performance’. Four decades later, the G-Class (the G-Wagen name was dropped in 1998) may be somewhat more luxurious than those original models, but it is still primed to travel almost anywhere in style.