The Story of
the G-class Named “Otto”
One man, one
G, one life's work. That sums up the essence of an unprecedented global
adventure. In 1988, when Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine set out in
their
Mercedes-Benz 300 GD to visit as many of the countries around the world
as possible, the G-Class was just ten years old. 26 years after, just under
900,000 kilometres, and 215 visited countries later; Gunther Holtorf drove his
cherished G – christened 'Otto' – back home to Swabia. The marathon vehicle
took pride of place in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim,
where it goes on show to visitors in the Classic Cars section. As a
world-record holder, 'Otto' will also be immortalized in the Guinness World
Records.
When the
vehicle was officially handed over to the Mercedes-Benz Museum, the driver and
the vehicle equally impressed Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of
Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars and he stated, "I
promise that there will still be a G-Class in the future. Will there be more
characters of Mr Holtorf's ilk in the future? I hope so,"
For
79-year-old Gunther Holtorf, he believed his Mercedes-Benz 300 GD,
affectionately christened as 'Otto' by his wife Christene, is quite simply the
expedition vehicle par excellence for this kind of (torturous) tour. He stated,
"In 1988, when I bought the car I was a bit more sceptical about the
promise made by Mercedes-Benz, namely "Where there's a G, there's a
way". After all, I'd already seen something of the world beforehand and
had a rough idea of what the vehicle would have to endure on this kind of world
tour!" This initial scepticism gave way though to an unreserved trust in
Otto's capabilities as the years went by. Even in the most precarious
situations, the symbiosis between the Holtorfs and the G-Class grew.
The 300 GD
covered over 250,000km of the just under 900,000 kilometres off-road, which is
perfectly in tune with its innate characteristics. On gravel or washboard
roads, in mud, on pot-holed roads or rocky uphill stretches in the mountains -
for the suspension and chassis this punishing workout is equivalent to around
2.5 million kilometers under normal central European conditions. In addition to
the challenging terrain, there were also the disparate meteorological
conditions to contend with, which 'Otto' took in its stride throughout all the
world's climate zones - from the unforgiving searing heat of the desert,
through steaming jungle regions to the freezing cold of the Arctic climes.
As if the
demands on the 300 GD were not already high enough, 'Otto' often had to contend
with overweight which resulted from expedition gear and food, jerry cans,
operating supplies, tools, recovery gear, spare parts and spare wheels. This
fully tipped the scales at 3.3 tonnes which is around 500 kilograms in excess
of the permissible gross vehicle weight. The roof alone of the cross-country
vehicle had to take 400 kilograms. Still, this did not faze the world record
vehicle. Gunther stated that the G-wagon was always overladen, which is why it
was fitted with reinforced springs and bad-road shock absorbers. Otherwise,
'Otto' remains like any series-production vehicle. The entire drivetrain with
the engine, transmission and axles is still original. Neither the frame nor the
body have shown any signs of fatigue."
By the time,
the vehicle crossed the finish line, Gunther and his now deceased wife
Christine Holtorf had travelled around 215 countries with Otto. "Travelled
around - mind you!” emphasized the former pilot and aerospace manager. "A
quick stop, with a stamp in your passport to prove it and a symbolic photo with
the vehicle at the border crossing - that was never enough for us! In our eyes,
you can only travel through a country once you've delved into the particular
hemisphere, come into close contact with the locals and got to know their very
many facets." Once a country had been ticked off according to these
criteria, another red line was added to the personal world map
"ROUND-THE-WORLD RECORD TOUR 1990 - 2014."
This now
definitive world map is crisscrossed by red lines and, in the course of his
tour planning, had opened a few doors for Gunther Holtorf, letting him
undertake journeys, which hitherto had been deemed impossible. Such as through
entirely inaccessible countries like North Korea and Myanmar or the grand tour
through China across 25,000 kilometres with only him at the wheel. Gunther
Holtorf calls these journeys "pioneer tours" - the first time a foreign
vehicle with a foreign driver was allowed to drive through the particular
country.
Before
'Otto' gets his definitive space in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Gunther was sent
out on the road again for two years from the end of February 2015 - travelling
around the Mercedes-Benz Centres and company-owned sales and service outlets in
Germany and Europe. 'Otto' accompanied a touring exhibition developed specially
for the vehicle, recounting his interesting stopovers and most impressive
experiences. More detailed about the „ ROUND-THE-WORLD-RECORD-TOUR 1989 -
2014“is available online
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