If Mad Max drove a Mercedes instead of “the last of the V8 interceptors,” he’d be behind the wheel of the wild ‘Benz that Greg Rogers now has for sale. It is an ML430 chassis with a 300E body on top. The rig the owner calls the ME43 is currently on Facebook Marketplace for $4,500 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Rogers is a Mercedes master. He worked on them for 37 years and even ran his own shop until selling it and retiring in August. This build happened when he had a 300E with a bad engine but a good interior and a wrecked ML430. The wheelbases for both vehicles were close enough to Frankenstein them together.
After completing the already weird combination, Rogers decided the resulting vehicle didn’t have enough wow factor. He used the 1960s TV series The Rat Patrol about World War II soldiers fighting in the North African campaign.
He uses parts from various Mercedes models and other vehicles to create the military-inspired look. One of the best touches is the copy of the MG42 machine gun on the roof. However, this isn’t an actual firearm. The barrel is a Mercedes ML steering column, and the shroud at the front is a Mercedes ignition tumbler. The belt is a timing chain, and the bullets are injectors.
The rack on the hood is actually the wing from a 190E 16-valve model. The lights below it and the lamps on the roof are Mercedes parts and are fully functional for throwing lots of illumination onto the road.
There’s an air compressor in the trunk, and the line runs to a tank on the roof. It sends air to a century-old steam whistle, ensuring this Mercedes gets even more attention.
The ammo box on the front passenger fender holds the re-located battery.
The interior is mainly from the 300E. The instrument panel is from the ML, and Rogers makes the gauge cluster look like a factory installation. A button for controlling the low-range transfer case is in the center console.
Beyond this build, Rogers is quite a handy guy. During a video tour of his current workshop, he showed Motor1.com a modified Jeep Cherokee that he converted into a pickup and added Wrangler taillights. He also collected a pair of first-gen Ford Broncos to work on.
Rogers told us that he hasn’t received any serious offers on the car yet.
