This is the Mercedes-Benz G500 with a Cadillac engine and transmission

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Meet the Mercedes-Benz G500 with a Cadillac engine and transmission. The owner simply ripped out the heart the Benz rolled off the assembly line with. He didn’t care it was an engine many would probably have killed for.

But the surrogate is just even more potent in terms of capability, so let’s not cry over the spilled milk. The move was a manner of insurgence of a man who wanted a potent G with a manual transmission. Mercedes instead only offered it with the 5-speed automatic. Therefore he decided to build his own.

Now the 2002 Mercedes-Benz G500 proudly wears the 6.0-liter LS2 V8 and the six-speed manual transmission that a 2006 Cadillac CTS-V donated.

The car is now going under the hammer with Cars and Bids, according to Carscoops. The owner claims that the off-roader still keeps its capability on rough terrain. The all-wheel drive, the locking front, center and rear differentials kept their ground.

But there are 400 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque now. These figures come instead of the 296 horsepower that the naturally-aspirated mill provided under the hood of the G500, that saw the light of day almost 20 years ago.

A smartphone replaced the instrument cluster of the Mercedes-Benz 500

Purists might want to look away as we go deeper into the mods this G suffered over the years. The factory instrument cluster was ripped out as well. There is something that looks like a digital cluster, but not quite. It looks like an Android-based smartphone replaced that one as well.

A set of 20-inch AMG wheels, a suspension lift, a digital fuel gauge and an aftermarket steering wheel round up the package.

The odometer showed 220,000 miles for the G-Class and 172,000 for the Cadillac when the swap happened. So both can brag about the experience on the road (and off it for the G). It’s something that the scratches on the body and the worn-out look of the black leather seats can only confirm. The future owner must also replace the actuator of the rear lock differential and change oil.

Twenty days left for bidding. The current bid is of almost $18,000.

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