We can practically see the smirk on the faces of the people from Status & Class when they hear BMW bragging about the X6 being the first coupe-SUV mashup.
In reality, it’s neither a coupe nor an SUV, and the same holds true for Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming MLC.
On the other hand, the “super rare” Status & Class Contender XG, which was made in a limited run of three units – according to some sources, and five according to others, between 1996 and 1999, is in fact a real coupe and a real SUV.
The first part is obvious from the SLK-esque exterior while the other is hidden underneath where you’ll find the body-on-frame architecture and mechanical hardware of the rugged, short wheelbase Mercedes-Benz G-Class or G-Wagen.
It isn’t very long at 4,357mm (171.5 inches) but it’s pretty wide at 1,970 mm (77.6 inches) and tall at 1,655mm (65.2 inches).
A Mercedes-sourced 3.2-liter inline-six that makes 208hp (211PS) and 300Nm of peak torque takes care of rotating the huge wheels on all four corners.
The reason why we remembered the Contender XG, which was built in Italy by OPAC for Swiss-based Status and Class, is that Carscoops reader Christian found one of these rare cars for sale on Germany’s Mobile, with the owner asking for €88,900 (about US$118,900).
You can check out photos of the actual car for sale (sans the last press picture) as well as videos of other Contender XGs below.
Tip of the hat to Christian K.!
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