|
|
Report
Click here to read report of the visit!
|
|
These are pictures that I took during my visit in early 2003 to the ELBO factory in Salonika, Greece
|
|
At the moment, the Salonika factory has a 2 ½ year contract for the supply to the Greek army of 2,500 G-Wagens, which will make the total made in Greece some 8-9,000 units since assembly started a few years back.
|
|
|
ELBO
ELBO is a private Greek company licensed by Mercedes-Benz to manufacture the G-Wagen for the Greek and Cypriot armies. It is currently the only other location where the G-Wagen is made, apart from the Graz (Austria) factory.
|
|
All the Greek army G-Wagens are Mercedes badged. The first versions of the G-Wagen made in Salonika were of the 462 series 240 GD, fitted with the very sluggish 2,4 litre 4 cylinder diesel with 72 BHP and a 4 speed manual gearbox.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post 1990 orders are of the naturally-aspirated 290 GD with 94 BHP and still manual.
|
|
Small badge reads "ELBO, S.A. Licence Daimler-Benz AG"
|
|
For ease of operation and to prevent costly repairs, neither front- nor rear diff-locks are specified for Greek G-Wagens!
|
|
Additionally, ELBO is currently supplying 250 RHD G-Wagens to the Cypriot army. In this case is a SWB soft top desert spec (somehow ressembling the UK SAS supplied Pink Panther Land Rovers)
|
|
The engines are fully assembled in-house. The chassis, wiring loom and many body parts are either made in the ELBO factory or locally sourced.
|
|
|
|
But the current contract specifies the 290 GD mated to the 4-speed auto gearbox.
|
|
Unlike the Greek version, the Cypriot G-Wagen comes with hydraulically lockable rear differential
|
|
Interior and exterior of the Cypriot army spec G-Wagen (RHD, of course)
|
|
|
