Affluent people intent on showing off are very much into unusual G-Wagens. Whether factory-produced efforts like the G550 4×4 Squared or G65, or aftermarket endeavors like the Brabus 700 6×6 or Mansory Viva, custom G-Class SUVs keep getting more and more outrageous. However, none of the efforts I’ve mentioned are quite as absurd as what a French company called Heuliez cooked up in 1996.
Think of Heuliez almost like a French Valmet, a contract manufacturer that helped major automakers produce more specialty vehicles. Valmet had the Saab 900 cabriolet, Heuliez had the Opel Tigra, that sort of thing. However, Heuliez made much, much more interesting stuff than what typically rolled out of Valmet. The Citroen CX Break, Citroen XM Break, and Peugeot 604 Limousine all were made by Heuliez, and that’s before we get to the really crazy stuff.
While Renault 5 Turbos were built by Alpine, the bodyshells themselves were modified by Heuliez. Oh, and that’s not the only bonkers rally homologation special Heuliez had a hand in. To homologate the Peugeot 205 T16 for Group B rallying, Peugeot had to sell 200 roadgoing variants. However, it was Heuliez who built the bodies for these road cars. Oh, and the third bonkers ’80s French hatchback built for rallying, the Citroen BX 4TC? Yeah, Heuliez built the bodies for those as well. Three of the maddest hot hatches of all time, all sharing a common coachbuilder. If that’s what Heuliez could do to sensible cars, what would it do to a Mercedes-Benz G-Class?
A two-door G320 with a removable roof isn’t a revolutionary concept by any means. Mercedes themselves offered a soft-top Gelandewagen for a period of time, several of which have migrated to sunny, affluent climes like Southern California. However, Heuliez’s vision didn’t look anything like a warmed-over military vehicle, instead adopting a sports car-like body. Heavy on sport, light on utility, most certainly a vehicle. The grille was similar to the one on a CLK, the lamps were straight concept car fancy, and the weird profile slashes were a little bit like the ones on the Porsche Panamericana concept, just without the cut-outs underneath. Think of it as the FILA dino-stomper of cabriolets. A car this jarring to the psyche deserves an equally-imposing name, so it’s only fitting that it’s called the Intruder.
It’s not what I’d call a conventionally-attractive vehicle, but it holds an undeniable amount of whimsy, especially regarding its novel cabriolet top. Keep in mind, the Mercedes-Benz SLK was brand new in 1996, so a power-retractable hardtop was an incredible bit of tech at the time. For a relatively small company to cook one up from scratch in the mid-’90s is rather incredible. What’s more, it looks far better fitted than the top on the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet.
On the inside of the Intruder, things don’t get any more normal. The driver and passenger sit in high-back buckets upholstered in blue leather with captain’s chair-style armrests, a gloriously strange mashup. The gauge cluster is in the center of the dashboard for an unencumbered view out, while even the 12-volt socket in the passenger footwell appears garnished in wood. There’s also blue leather on the steering wheel, the steering column, the door cards, and the dashboard. How many Smurfs had to lay down their lives for this interior?
Of course, once you get your head around the truly unique interior and exterior, everything underneath is a bit common. Power comes from the excellent M104 straight-six and the gearbox is a standard Mercedes automatic unit, so servicing costs shouldn’t be exorbitant. This is a bizarre one-off concept car that actually makes sense to own, which only makes it more unusual. Think of it as a Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, only much better in every way except seating capacity.
So what became of Heuliez and the Intruder? Well, Italian coachbuilder OPAC riffed off some of the Intruder’s themes to create the Contender XG for Swiss-based Status & Class. That name’s a big hint that this new car had all the elegance of a dumpster fire. As for Heuliez itself, the company ended up folding in 2013, closing its doors for the final time nine years ago today.
It’s a shame that Heuliez isn’t still in business, building bizarre G-Class roadsters for the rich and eccentric. While the customer base would be quite small, I’d imagine coachbuilt luxury off-road cabriolets would be a slightly more sustainable business case than cranking out Opel Tigras. However, if you do desire the Heuliez Intruder, DK Engineering in England has it listed for sale at a surprisingly reasonable $190,995. That’s not bad considering a 2022 G63 starts at $179,000 before freight and options. The firm’s actually been trying to shift it for several years, so if you have around $200,000 burning a hole in your pocket and want a weird Geländewagen, ring them up.
Lead photo credit: DK Engineering
It’s like a sport utility vehicle without the utility, or the sport. It’s a vehicle!
I always thought the ALK on G-Wagon Jim Rogers creation was better, just for it’s oversized toy aesthetic.
https://kickasstrips.com/2014/05/adventure-capitalist-jim-rogers-drives-rtw-in-a-yellow-mercedes-convertible/
I hate this. I hate this so much.
They bought it for 42.000€ soe years ago. Pretty nice profit.
Heuliez prototypes auction was. To me, the best auction ever made, so many unique (running and registered) stuff to grab for cheap (like 5k). I wish i had spare money back then….
Link to the auction listing for the curious :
https://www.artcurial.com/fr/vente-2138-sport-gts-au-mans-classic
Ok i’m confused. Why did they try to outdo the Murano on the ugliness scale?
Can someone suggest to them it’s not neccesary?
“Heuliez” sounds like the noise a Roman legionnaire makes when Obelix bodyslams the wind out of him.
Reminds me of The Excellent that Clarkson built
Jesus, does anyone have an EpiPen?
The very soul of this article: “It’s not what I’d call a conventionally-attractive vehicle…”
A fellow Smith & Sniff listener, I see!
I usually don’t like this type of thing and think the Lexus SC430 and the Murano cross thing look pretty awful. This looks kind of cool, maybe it is the high profile tired, but it works for me.
Mercedes-Benz SLK was brand new in 1996, so a power-retractable hardtop was an incredible bit of tech at the time.
Well I would not call it an incredible bit of tech since Peugeot came out with a power retractable hardtop in 1935.
“…a power-retractable hardtop was an incredible bit of tech at the time.”
Perhaps, but my ’59 Ford Skyliner would suggest it wasn’t all that incredible to have done this in the ’90s, and even Ford was far from the first.
I’m moderately shocked by how well this thing prefigured later M-B products. The SLS came out about a decade and a half later with a remarkably similar tail, and it’s not like that was a clear evolution of Mercedes design cues.
It’s sacrilege to say, but I’d rather have the Murano.
I hate it.
This in the same category as the Ram SRT10. “Why??” is the point.
Nice trunk.
Yes! It’s so ridiculous I love it. The seating position looks too flat for me, but blue leather makes up for that. I want to retire to a small tropical island and drive that thing on small island adventures. It has plenty of sidewall for truly terrible roads. This car is like the weird predecessor to the “safari all the things” movement.
Youabian Puma finally has some competition.
Yeah that’s what I instantly saw and I can’t see anything else.
I think this was secretly commissioned by Toyota in order to make the Lexus SC convertibles not be the ugliest cars on the planet.
Except the SC convertibles didn’t come out until 2000 and this was built in 1996. More like Toyota saw it and said, “nice, but let’s make it a less interesting road car.”
Intruder! They built this ridiculous car and then name it Intruder! When are intruders cool or looked up to? Never! Ocean’s 11 were intruders I guess but they didn’t call themselves that. If English isn’t your first language that’s fine. I totally respect that. Just don’t name your car an English word that you think sounds good.
I would never buy this, but I do have to admit that it would allow someone to drive a unique car. Even non-car folks would know this one’s not typical.
Not sure it’s a good thing in this case, but it does stand out.
All you dorks out there who hate seventeen inch and up wheels, take a GOOD look, because that’s what you look like out there driving on your 70 series sidewalls.
The tyres look great! …
For what it’s worth, pretty sure those are not 70 series. …
Potholes are hell with low profiles, and cobblestones will rattle your teeth, ugh!
I think the tires look great, and kind of make it work, would look much worse on rubber bands.
username checks out.
No
Just no