An ultra-rare AMG Japan Mercedes-Benz 300 GE Cabriolet, seen on the premises of FB City in northeast Beijing. The old Mercedes looked stunning, almost as-new, painted in a beautiful shade of black with the original alloy wheels. The owner fitted modern headlights, but the rest of the car is so perfect, so I can live with that.
AMG Japan
AMG Japan was the Japanese importer of AMG cars in the 1990s. The company’s owner was Yanase & Co., the largest dealer group for Mercedes-Benz in Japan. At the time, AMG was still an independent company. AMG didn’t offer RHD variants, so AMG Japan imported German-spec LHD cars.
AMG Japan also imported special Mercedes-Benz models that were not offered in RHD, and the G Cabriolet in the photos appears to be one of those. Quite a few of these early AMG Japan cars have since been sold to Chinese collectors, who eagerly snapped ’em up.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 GE Cabriolet
Mercedes-Benz manufactured the W463 300 GE Cabriolet model from 1990 until 1994. It was a top-sec variant, with lots of chrome, side bars, a spare-wheel cover, big wheels, and mud flaps.
The Cabriolet had a complex convertible roof that only covered about one-third of the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz added a strange-looking third side window, integrated into the fabric. It’s not pretty, but surely special.
FB City was a fantastic collection/car shop in northeast Beijing, located between the Goldenport race track and the Crab Island amusement park. Its main building, seen on the left, housed a collection of over 100 rare cars. Sadly, FB Auto didn’t survive the pandemic, and the building stands empty nowadays.
AMG Japan added this cool Mercedes-Benz sticker on the front fenders. It looks perfectly 1990s!
Toyo Tires is a Japanese company. It developed the ‘Open Country’ series for off-road usage. The series is still around today.
Interior
The interiors of the AMG Japan imports are always special, and this 300 GE does not disappoint. It has red leather seats and an all-black dashboard. Note the old-school cigarette lighter in the center tunnel. The control buttons for the four-wheel drive system are high up in the center stack.
A bit dark in the back, even with the extra window.
Specs
Under the hood of the 300 GE Cabriolet was a 3.0-liter straight six with a 168 hp/190 Nm output. Mercedes-Benz offered a 5-speed manual, or, as in this car, a 4-speed automatic. It had a 160 km/h top speed.
I have a small collection of Yanase/AMG Japan cars in China. More about those vehicles in upcoming posts. However, this is the only 300 GE Cabriolet I have ever seen on Chinese roads.