Mercedes-Benz ended production of the G-Class Cabriolet in 2013, and with the exception of the Maybach-branded G650 Landaulet it hasn’t released another chopped-top G-Wagon since. Dubai-based Refined Marques has filled this void with a limited-edition convertible G63.
Company boss Ahmed Al Bakry tells Autoblog that the idea of turning the current-generation G-Class into a convertible came from his 5-year-old son. While his initial plan was to build one example, the G63 Cabriolet became a limited-edition model after some of his friends saw it and put down a deposit. Regardless of production figures, his goal was always to improve some of the old Cabriolet’s weak points.
He adds that one issue is access to the rear seats, which was tight at best in the factory-built SUV (shown in white in the gallery above). His solution was to add a pair of small rear doors for the back-seat passengers. He experimented with regular, front-hinged doors before flipping the hinges around. Fitting suicide doors improves access and comfort, Al Bakry notes, and repositioning the rear seats unlocks more space. Full-size adults can comfortably ride in the back even when there are relatively tall passengers sitting in the front, the CEO says.
Viewed from the outside, the Refined Marques-designed G63 Cabriolet features proportions similar to the Mercedes-Benz-designed model’s — it’s clean, congruous, and it could almost pass as a factory-developed version. Building it requires shortening the frame, but Al Bakry explains his company is well prepared to take on such a massive project because it routinely works on some of the world’s most luxurious cars. Refined Marques also made several small changes to the original design: The tailgate notably swings outward instead of down.
Power comes from a stock, G63-sourced 4.0-liter V8 that’s twin-turbocharged to 577 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. It spins the four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission, and the Cabriolet retains the standard G’s full-time four-wheel-drive system.
Refined Marques will build 20 units of the G63 Cabriolet, and 19 examples are already spoken for in spite of a base price pegged at about $1.3 million. Al Bakry tells me the 20th build slot will be filled fairly quickly. Put another way, you’re not getting one if your name isn’t already on the list. Refined Marques will work with each buyer to customize the SUV, and none of the 20 units planned will be exactly identical.
