duPont REGISTRY May 2024

A few years ago, on a bitter, rain-spitting day outside the industrial town of Graz, Austria, I found myself holding on for dear life. Some of you will recognize immediately that this is the home of one of the world’s most renowned car factories, Magna-Steyr. Magna has built everything from the Alpenwagen (in 1919, in the rubble of the Great War) to the Jeep Commander to the Audi TT and a smattering of almost every model that rides on Europe’s roads. They also make the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, or Geländewagen, one of the most butch SUVs ever built. It was conceived by the Shah of Iran in the 1970s, who coveted a Land Rover Defender but wanted his own version. Mercedes-Benz was happy to oblige, but by the time they finished building, the Shah was deposed in the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The Shah’s lose; luxury offroading’s gain. Back to Graz: I dared to see if this beast was offroad capable, or only appeared so. After all, most owners rarely leave the well-paved roads of Orange County or M