The Most Radically Lifted Mercedes W210 Prerunner Off-Road Build

Let’s start with the basics. A Mercedes-Benz W210 E-Class was built for the Autobahn, not for the trails – period. With its rear-wheel-drive layout, typical for a road sedan 6.3″ of ground clearance, and 111.4″ long 4-door wheelbase, it’s hands down one of the worst candidates for an off-road build you can think of. But this, on the other hand, is exactly why it stands out so much!

The 1998 Mercedes E430 off-road build I’m sharing today belongs to Andy Lehner from Elk River, Minnesota, and it’s one of the most radical W210s I’ve ever come across.

Andy turned this plush executive sedan into a full-on prerunner with custom Fox-shocked suspension, 31″ Kenda Klever MTs, tube bumpers, and a welded rear differential. With the stock V8 and all the modifications, it somehow ticks every box on the desert-racing checklist, making it a pretty competitive choice. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when somebody throws the rulebook out the window and builds the car nobody thought was possible – then you should definitely read on!

Key Mods (2026 Update):

• Custom Air suspension (stage 2)
• 31″ M/T tires and Beadlock Wheels (stage 2)
• Welded rear differential

The Build

Back in the day, Andy the owner of this Benz, has purchased it for only $600 bucks, although the car needed some help. The front end was damaged, but he saw it as a blank canvas for his crazy DIY build.

He’d been hooked on prerunner-style trucks since his high school days with a Ford Ranger, and decided to translate that desert-racing aesthetic onto something less conventional. Obviously no brands are offering ready-made solutions for this type of modification, so implementing this wild ideas into life required lots of planning and custom fab work,

Suspension

The W210 runs a double-wishbone front and a 5-link independent rear, which is great for good quality concrete roads, but heavily limited the wheel travel. But as with any prerunner build, lots of changes in this department were about to be made.

For the stage 1, up front he fabbed a custom coil bucket mount spacer paired with Fox shocks and Fox hydraulic bump stops. The rear got a Delrin coil spacer with matching Fox shocks and hydraulic bumps.

Both lower control arms front and rear were modified to receive the new bump stops and to gain a bit more usable travel. This setup not only raised the car well above the stock 160 mm clearance, but more importantly lets the suspension actually absorb hits at speed, which is exactly what a prerunner setup is supposed to do.

Obviously, the Benz didn’t come with anything like an LSD or lockers to block off the traction loss caused by a wheel lift off on one of the sides. To mitigate that, Andy went out with a radical but simple solution – he just welded in the rear diff, to have it permanently locked.

It’s an old motorsports trick, called Spool. It has lots of the disadvantages on concrete, but since we’re talking about a desert prerunner – all of them were something Andy didn’t mind getting away with.

Wheels & Tires

Stock W210 E430 wheels are sized 16×7.5″ or 17×7.5″ wrapped in 215/55R16 or 235/45R17 rubber, totalling around 25.3″ in total diameter, which is way too small according to 4×4 standards.

With paper-thin sidewalls that pinch instantly on a rock or pothole it’s just a no go for an off-road build, but the owner has prepared something cool for it. His choice fell on a set of old-school Walker Evans Racing beadlock rims, that protect new 31″ rubber from being ripped off when running low tire pressure of 8-10 PSI (a must for an RWD prerunner used on sand).

That in total gave almost 3 inches of lift compared to the stock ride height (lifting the actual axles/differential higher off the ground) and at the same time improved the breakover and approach angles. But most importantly it finally gave this E-Class the proper prerunner stance it deserved.

Engine & Drivetrain

The 4.3L M113 V8 is the strongest point of the whole W210 platform – 275 HP, 295 lb-ft of torque, and famously durable. Andy’s mill has 295k miles on it and still pulls hard, with just a custom intake and electric fan setup helping it breathe better.

In a prerunner that jumps or hits “whoops” (rhythmic bumps) at speed, the engine can bounce so hard it hits the hood or radiator. Solid mounts from Creative Steel lock the engine to the chassis, ensuring no drivetrain movement during violent impacts.

The rest of the driveline got some attention too: blue AMG shift solenoids in the 722.6 5-speed auto for firmer, faster shifts, and a custom full exhaust running Magnaflow mufflers with an X-pipe.

Exterior & Body Armor

This is where the build really comes together visually. Andy fabbed custom tubular bumpers front and rear in proper prerunner style. They look mean and add some real protection that the low W210 front end desperately needs (stock approach angle was only around 13–15°, the bumper basically acts like a plow on any rutted trail).

Underneath sits a full belly pan skid plate, which is critical because the W210 has a ton of plastic underbody paneling and a low-sitting oil pan that won’t survive a single rock strike without armor. The fenders were cut to clear those 31″ tires and matching fender flares were added on top. A black hood on the silver body completes the classic prerunner contrast.

Lights

Up front Andy went with Jeep-style Halo LED headlights, paired with a row of LED off-road pods mounted behind the tube bumper. Simple, clean, and turns night into day on the dunes and the ice tracks where this thing actually sees use.

Interior

Pretty much untouched – full factory 1998 Mercedes leather interior. Andy says he may gut and cage it down the line, but for now he’s keeping the comfort, and honestly there’s something hilarious about climbing out of a heated leather seat after bashing dunes all day.

List of Modifications

Engine & Drivetrain

• Stock 4.3L M113 V8 (295k miles)
• Custom intake
• Electric fan conversion
• Welded rear differential
• Blue AMG shift solenoids (722.6 transmission)
• Solid motor & trans mounts (Creative Steel)
• Custom full exhaust – Magnaflow mufflers + X-pipe

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Suspension

• Custom Air suspension setup
• Custom coil bucket mount spacer (front)
• Delrin coil spacer (rear)
• Fox hydraulic bump stops (front & rear)
• Modified lower control arms

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Wheels & Tires

• 17″ Walker Evans Racing beadlock rims
• 31″ Kenda Klever M/T tires

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Exterior

• Custom tube front bumper
• Custom tube rear bumper
• Full belly pan skid plate
• Cut fenders & fender flares
• Black hood
• Jeep Halo LED headlights
• LED off-road pods

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Interior

• Stock 1998 Mercedes-Benz leather interior

Owner’s Insight

“Mersleezy handles impressively well and could take a beating like a champ”

How did you become interested in off-roading?

– Been big into offroad since I was little, but mostly after I got my first truck (Ford ranger) back in high school. Went through its stages of mudding, trail riding etc. Then I really got stuck on the Prerunner/desert/stadium style trucks. No better fast paced fun than ripping a truck through the dunes.

“No better fast paced fun than ripping a truck through the dunes”

Why did you choose this particular model for your project?

– It really started as just a random off-road capable car I wanted to find to build a Gambler500 vehicle. Loved its V8 power and making an RWD go as far as possible offroad is always fun and challenging. From there it kind of spiraled out of control and I started putting way to much time into it. Fell in love with how it started looking and we never really used it for the Gambler. However, it has had it’s fair share of beatings.
What inspired you to choose this modification style?

– I’ve always loved the Prerunner style trucks with the tube bumpers, skid plates, off-road lights etc.

What challenges did you face while putting it together?

– The fact that nobody, probably for good reason, had never tried to do what I’ve done with this car. So a ton of custom things along the way that at times was a lot of work.

What do you love about your vehicle?

– It looks menacing, and has literally handled everything I could throw at it and never complains at all.

Is it your daily or a weekend ride?

– Little bit of both, I daily it here and there. But it gets its share of off-roading and racing.
Do you take it off road? If so, where and how often?

– Oh for sure. It’s been to the Sand dunes in Michigan 5 or 6 times now. RallyX raced a few times and even ice race it.

Conclusion

Andy’s “Mersleezy” is hands down one of the most creative and badass off-road builds I’ve come across in the entire history of running Offroadium. Starting from a factory W210 E-Class platform that has pretty much every off-road disadvantage stacked against it (RWD, 6.3″ clearance, open diff, long wheelbase, low overhangs, 25″ stock tires, plastic belly), Andy reverse-engineered the whole thing into a real prerunner with custom Fox-shocked and then swapped to air suspension, a welded rear diff, 31″ MTs, and a tube bumper setup protecting all the weak spots.

The fact that it’s been to the Michigan dunes 5–6 times, RallyX-raced, and even ice-raced without complaining proves the engineering is more than just looks.

Based on our 70-point off-road capability rating system, this 1998 Mercedes E430 prerunner scores 35 out of 70 – earning 20 points for the aggressive lift with heavily oversized off-road tires on a RWD platform, +10 for the welded rear diff acting as a spool, and +5 for the full belly pan skid plate and tube bumper protection.

The score isn’t sky-high simply because the W210 doesn’t have low range, body-on-frame layout, or four-wheel-drive with traction modes (base 4×4 stuff that you just can’t bolt on). But for what it is – a desert-racing 4.3L V8 executive sedan – it’s a wild, well-executed project that proves you really can take almost any vehicle off-road if you’ve got the vision, the welder, and zero fear of judgment.

Watch the progress and find out more about this lifted Mercedes E430 off-road race car by visiting the Instagram profile of the owner: @minnfab!

Check other Mercedes off road builds and stay tuned for more project reviews on Offroadium.com – Follow us on social media, and share this write up if you enjoyed reading it!