How an EMC Wolf Is Spec’d: A Commissioning Guide
Every truck we deliver began as a sequence of decisions. A commission is a set of questions, each one narrowing the vintage cabriolet G-Wagen toward its owner's vision, and this guide walks them in the order they are actually made, with what each one determines.
Every build receives the same complete frame-off restoration, with every component restored, replaced, or upgraded. We do not perform partial restorations, engine swaps, or interior-only changes, so the questions in a commission concern the specification of the truck, never the depth of the work.
The Configuration
The first decision is the truck's footprint. The Short Wheelbase is the original form of the W461 and the classic G Wagon silhouette most clients picture first; the Long Wheelbase extends the platform to seat up to eight with third-row jump seats. Every build in either footprint carries the soft-top body and fold-down windshield of a Wolf convertible G Wagon, and the differences between the two, dimensions, seating, and temperament, are covered in the EMC model range. Most clients answer this question with the life they intend for the truck.
In simple terms, everything from the 2nd row forward is the same in both the Short Wheelbase and Long Wheelbase. The LWB is 1.5' longer, providing additional cargo space and larger 3rd row jump seats.
The Drivetrain
The second decision determines how the truck drives, and it begins with the transmission. Clients who want a manual choose between the Mercedes OM605a and OM606a turbodiesels, each paired with a fully rebuilt 717 five-speed for an analog driving experience with enhanced power. This keeps the powertrain "period-correct" with the authentic diesel character and interactive drive with a third pedal. Both the OM605 and OM606 are tuned for smooth power around town, highway speed capability, and no smoke.
Clients who want an automatic choose the 6.2L LS3 V8, the most modern driving experience in our range, built around a brand-new crate engine and transmission. We developed the subsystems around that powertrain, the cooling, the driveline, and the tune, so the drive is familiar, comfortable, and capable. This configuration carries its own designation, the 620GE.
The Exterior
The third decision is the color. Any exterior color with a paint code can be commissioned, from military-period shades to colors Mercedes never offered on the G-Class, not only those shown in the builder or built before. The body beneath it is prepared the same way regardless: every panel taken to bare metal, treated against corrosion, hand-corrected to OEM specification, and refinished before paint. From there the exterior is specified piece by piece: grille and headlamp surrounds in body color or black, clear or amber lenses, light guards, bullbar, winch, pod lights, a body-matched jerry can, side steps, and one of three forged wheel designs.
The Interior
The cabin is chosen the same way. The upholstery is selected against the exterior, in our weatherproof material in more than 30 colors, or in genuine leathers and cloth for clients who prefer them. Around it the cabin is built for the owner's use: AAA European Oak trim, air conditioning, heated seats front and rear, wireless Apple CarPlay, premium Harman sound, and phone chargers at both rows, housed so the equipment reads as designed-in rather than added on. The original vintage G Wagon cabin was built for soldiers, and every commission keeps that simplicity while equipping the truck for the life its owner leads.
Where the Decisions Meet the Engineering
Every combination above lands on the same foundation. We have engineered the EMC Wolf across more than 180 client restorations and nearly ten years, and that engineering supports a modernized drive while keeping the character that makes the Wolf G-Wagen special. The restoration beneath it is the same for every commission: a documented 1990s G-Wagen hand-built from bare metal to collector-grade standards across more than 2,500 man-hours, entirely in-house by our team of 26.
Each of these trucks is rare, and each lived a hard life in military service before it reached us. The restoration gives it a second one. The finished truck is a restomod G Wagon in the literal sense, restored in its body, re-engineered beneath it, and specified by one person, with the original character never diluted, only equipped for contemporary use.
The decisions in this guide are made in the custom G Wagon configurator, each one paired with what we have learned from the builds that came before it.