---
title: "Russian Man Makes a Driveable Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen Out of Ice in Siberia"
description: "A true automotive enthusiast won't let circumstances come between themselves and their passion. Such is the story of a Russian man in Siberia named Vladislac Barashenko, who decided to build himself a running, driving copy of a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen out of the most plentiful resource around him: Ice."
date: "2018-02-01"
modified: "2018-02-02"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/18162/russian-man-makes-a-driveable-mercedes-benz-g-wagen-out-of-ice-in-siberia"
categories:
  - "Mercedes-Benz News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "g-class"
  - "G-Wagen"
  - "gelandewagen"
  - "ICE"
  - "luxury"
  - "Mercedes-Benz"
  - "Off-Road"
  - "russia"
  - "suv/crossover"
  - "Truck"
  - "uaz"
---

# Russian Man Makes a Driveable Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen Out of Ice in Siberia

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/02/g-class-3.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

A true automotive enthusiast won't let circumstances come between themselves and their passion. Such is the story of a Russian man in Siberia named Vladislac Barashenko, who decided to build himself a running, driving copy of a [Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/17674/mercedes-benz-unveils-next-generation-g-class-at-north-american-international-auto-show>) out of the most plentiful resource around him: Ice.

Barashenko owns a custom car shop called Garage 54 in the city of Novosibirsk, a large urban enclave nestled on the banks of the Ob River in central Russia. With an average high of just 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 degrees Celsius) in January, there's plenty of ice to go around, and Barashenko decided to take advantage of that and create his own unique version of Daimler's [iconic off-roader.](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/17345/i-almost-crashed-a-mercedes-amg-g63-in-winter-just-because-it-wore-summer-tires>)

![message-editor%2F1517533627621-project.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1517533627621-project.jpg>)
**YouTube | Garage 54**

Of course, an internal combustion engine demands something a little more melt-proof than ice, which is also famously lousy for things like tires and suspension systems. So Barashenko got ahold of an old [UAZ](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/14987/this-fully-restored-screw-driven-amphibious-truck-is-practically-unstoppable>) 469—a Soviet Jeep Wrangler, basically—and stripped it down to the chassis and running gear to create a blank canvas. With the help of a steel frame to help hold everything together, he and his team attached *six tons* of carefully-sculpted ice blocks made from "pure frozen Siberian water," according to [a local news report.](<https://siberiantimes.com/other/others/news/meet-the-ladaborghini-and-an-extremely-cool-mercedes-gelandewagen-made-of-ice/>)

And the seats and steering wheel inside aren't just for show. Despite weighing as much as an woolly mammoth, the icy G-Wagen (Gelïcedewagen?) actually runs and drives, as seen in this YouTube video the garage made to show it off. The whole thing is in Russian, but you can skip ahead to six minutes in to see the ice truck romp through the snow. Be sure not to miss the psychedelic light show as well.

https://youtube.com/embed/3kuWgX2jVjk

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)