I’m an unabashed fan of the Merc G wagon. Ask me what SUV I would put in my driveway and I will blurt out “G500″ without hesitation. For a car guy, not an SUV guy, the connection I have with the G is not to be underestimated. For me, the X-factor is the heritage of a true off-roader that has scarcely changed in 30 years. You might call it a failure to engineer or just plain laziness. I call it brilliant.

The owner of the vehicle you see today claimed that it was a 1989 model and that the G intimidating me from across 99 st in South Edmonton Common was the only cabrio in Canada, although Craigslist Vancouver might have something to say about that. Maybe his was the only ’89 cabrio with an automatic, Bosch light covers, and a dog in the back?

Regardless of this particular W460′s place in the Unique Merc Hall of Fame, it’s the first G wagon cabrio I’ve ever seen. Powering the Spartanly-appointed vehicle was a 2.8L inline-six making a stout 156 hp. A hundred and fifty-six is enough for off-roading and mud-slinging, but I can see why the modern-day W463 boulevardier is fitted with either a 382 hp or 500 hp thunder-maker. Clearly, more power is needed for the 21 century’s more porcine clientele.

I may have just found the least gay convertible on the planet, although Brett Berk might disagree.

Just to share with you a bit of perspective of the scale of South Edmonton Common, where I spotted this W460 cabrio, here’s a ruler:

Now apply said ruler to this:

And you have about 1.4 square kilometers (or 15,000,000 square feet) of open-air retail space. That would make SEC the largest open-air retail centre in North America. And to think that it was nothing but a farmer’s field 10 years ago. I liked it better as a field.