In 1983, the Paris-Dakar Rally was not just the name of an event, as it was actually run from Paris to the Senegalese capital Dakar. The rally is the opening event of the motorsport year.

With support from Texaco and the experience of a first appearance, Jacky Ickx and his friend Claude Brasseur construct a 4-wheel drive Mercedes 280 GE (W460) for the Paris-Dakar Rally.

That the Mercedes is one of the favourites in 1983 for the tortuous 12,000 km route from Paris to Dakar is already apparent after the initial stages. Ickx (no. 142) and his team mate Jean-Pierre Jaussaud (no. 143) set a punishing pace with speeds which at times reach 185 km/h. The for today’s standards modest 230 horsepower is enough to win the rally.

The route passes through the Ténéré desert for the first time, and it is here that the original planning goes awry. Practically the entire rally loses its way in a sandstorm, with 40 participants going missing. Three stages are cancelled.

Ahead of 384 competitors, Jacky Ickx gains the only title for Mercedes-Benz (in the cars class). Right up until today, no other vehicle bearing the famous star has been constructed for so long with practically no modifications. However, technical improvements to the vehicle were realised time and again.