Unimog with a Mercedes M123

Our friend Dan Woods stopped by CX Off-Road in Paraguay to talk to owner Javier about his 1959 Unimog 404. Javier built the Unimog to compete in rally racing such as the Desafio Cordillera (Cordillera Challenge) with the shop’s other Unimog, a tan stock 1974 406 model. They chose Unimogs over a modified truck because of their strength from the factory. The dark 1959 404 originally came with a 2.2 L Mercedes M180 inline-six which produced around 80 horsepower. Javier decided to swap the motor with a 2.5 L M123 inline-six from a Mercedes W123. The engine is stock except for a Fueltech EFI and Holley Avenger carb which helps the motor produce around 150 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque. The rest of the Unimog’s powertrain has remained stock. Javier did upgrade the front suspension with Bilstein shocks to handle the tough off-road races.

More photos of the tan 1974 Unimog 406.

Source: CX Off-Road FB page via Dan Wood