Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6x6
Ah yes, the original posh-yet-powerful 6x6. There's no way the infamous Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG would miss our net for hardcore off-roaders. It's not a stretch to say just about every 6x6 featured in this slideshow (and there are a lot of them) was likely inspired by this insanely awesome ride.
While its true that there are larger and more powerful 6x6 beasts now available, the G 63 remains the only such creature to come straight from the factory with all six wheels turning.
Devel Sixty
As far as 6x6 off-roaders go, the Devel Sixy has to be the most extreme of them all. Consider its features: Six-wheel drive with a carbon-fibre body. Space-age styling that would look right at home tackling sand dunes on Mars. And then there's the 6.75-litre turbodiesel V8 that produces 720 horsepower, with an option for up to 1,500 horsepower. Insane doesn't even begin to cover it.
We got quite a wake-up call watching this monster drag racing a Bentley Flying Spur and demolishing it, but having such superiority over most everything else on the road will cost you $450,000 (about £343,000).
Roshel Senator APC
New to the scene (as in just announced on September 26) is Canada's take on a pseudo-military machine. In this case, however, it is military-spec – Roshel will only sell its armoured-up, Ford Super-Duty-based Senator with air-filtration and surveillance gear to government and law enforcement agencies. Civilians aren't left out though; Roshel offers a Senator for the masses with all the brute charm but without the same kind of country-invading tech.
The Toronto-based company builds all kinds of specialty vehicles, but with the custom nature of each project, pricing isn't available. Still, even in civilian form, you can bet the Senator doesn't compete with the likes of a Honda Civic.
Rhino GX Executive
Here's another Ford Super Duty pick-up wearing a hardcore suit, but unlike the Roshel Senator we saw previously, this one is strictly for civilian commuting. We aren't sure why you'd need the Rhino GX for daily trips to the supermarket, but if zombies happen to invade Asda's car park, you should be able to find a spot.
Despite the gruff exterior the Rhino is actually rather posh and luxurious inside, looking more like a high-end mobile office than a command centre. Official pricing for this SUV isn't known, but unofficially we're told it retails for around £190,000.
Hennessey Goliath 6x6
Those who prefer a bow tie on the front of their truck may be enticed by the Hennessey Goliath – a 705-horsepower, six-wheeled monster that started life as a Chevy Silverado. The folks at Hennessey added some rather insane modifications, including a custom extended bed, eight-inch lift kit, 37-inch BF Goodrich tyres, and quad exhaust.
Goliath will go quickly and make some crazy noise while doing it on just about any terrain you can imagine. The price for this mad science experiment? $375,000 (£286,000), though only 24 examples will be made. Such is the cost of being unique these days.
Southern Off Road Jeep Wrangler 6x6
Granted this insane 6x6 Jeep pretty much destroys the nimble nature of the Wrangler, but what it lacks in maneuverability it makes up for in ground-clawing power. Aside from the extra axle and custom pickup bed, there's a 6.4-litre Hemi V8 under the 'hood' and a 4.5-inch suspension lift underneath, among other things.
Southern Off Road built this specific Wrangler for former Atlanta Braves baseball player Andruw Jones, and it's currently for sale through MotorCars of Atlanta for a cool $249,800 (£190,000).
Mil-Spec Automotive Hummer H1
The original Hummer was the mainstay support vehicle for the U.S. military for decades, but it wasn't the most comfortable vehicle in civilian guise. Nor was it much of a performer outside of crawling over rocks, but Mil-Spec Automotive addresses all those shortcomings with its rebooted H1 project vehicles. Each one is custom-built per the customer's wishes, and that generally includes such niceties as massaging leather seats and modified suspension that enhances ride quality without compromising the H1's legendary off-road chops.
As for power, that's addressed too. This particular H1 gets a 6.6-litre Duramax diesel that's good for about 500 horsepower, and other projects are already in the pipeline. Costs can vary depending on the build, but expect to pay $250,000 (£190,000) or more for the ultimate civilian HumVee.
East Coast Defenders Project Viper
Like Mil-Spec Automotive, East Coast Defenders loves turning old iconic off-roaders into awesome all-new monsters. We've seen several custom projects from the company over the years, but this bad-boy build called Project Viper haunts our memories like no other. Credit the external roll cage, custom suspension with 20-inch wheels, and the abundance of accessories that simply make this one of the meanest Defenders we've ever seen.
Inside is practically the polar opposite, with comfortable leather seating and plenty of tech through its custom infotainment system. Its 430-horsepower LS3 V8 gets the job done too, but if you want something similar in your garage be prepared to shell out about £230,000.
Hennessey Velociraptor 6x6
If subtlety isn't at the top of your priority list, allow us to introduce the Hennessey VelociRaptor 6x6. Even the name is brash, though it fits this insane science experiment just fine.
Sending 602 horsepower to all six wheels allows this massive truck to sprint to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds, while turning every head in sight with added light bars and look-at-me orange paint. All this for the "well, if you have it, do it" price of $349,000 (£266,000).
Karlmann King
We know what you're thinking. Is this stealth fighter-shaped SUV invisible to police radar? Actually, the Karlmann King is listed as having a top speed of only 87 mph, so even if the rozzers can see you, odds are you won't be speeding. It's not for a lack of power – in fact this Ford Super-Duty-based SUV gets a 6.8-litre V10 engine for motivation, but it's also fitted with a TV, refrigerator, tables, and enough gear to send it to almost six tonnes. Six.
It also sends this space-age luxury SUV way off the scale in terms of price. You're looking at the most expensive off-roader in this entire group, with a price exceeding $2 million, or about £1.5 million in Church of England. Then again, if you want to survive the zombie apocalypse in style, this is probably the best choice of them all.
Mercedes-Benz Unimog
Where do we even begin with the legendary Mercedes-Benz Unimog? You probably won't see many in the UK, but on the continent, these things are blue-collar heroes. These lumbering workhorses do everything from fighting forest fires to racing across the desert as Baja support vehicles. This one is even decked out as a go-anywhere camper, and it can indeed go just about anywhere.
EarthCruiser Austraila built this Unimog Camper with the idea of offering a comprehensive, off-the-grid camping experience in places no typical camper van could reach. It has all the comforts of home including a full bathroom and kitchen, and it carries enough fuel to travel 2,100 miles without stopping. If you truly desire to get away from it all, this could be the best vehicle in the world for doing it.
Multidrive Technology Toyota Land Cruiser 6x6
The Toyota Land Cruiser is already a legendary off-road machine. Multidrive Technology in Austraila has been improving that capability for quite some time now with its 6x6 conversion. The upfitted Land Cruiser can be ordered in a range of variants and with plenty of options, but regardless of the configuration, its six-wheel-drive system can get drivers and passengers just about anywhere they need to go.
Rezvani Tank Military Edition
Rezvani has a few different versions of its compact, futuristic Tank SUV available to customers. We chose the Military Edition for two reasons: it's bulletproof (literally, it's fitted with ballistics-rated glass and skin) and it packs a 707-horsepower Hellcat V8 engine. That means in the unlikely event you encounter something even more badass than your Rezvani, the odds are very good you can run away before anything unfortunate happens.
It's not cheap, however. The Military Edition starts at £225,000, and that's before the added cost of the optional Hellcat engine. Considering the price also includes thermal vision and the capability to make its own smoke screen, though, it could be a bargain when it comes to surviving the apocalypse.
Avtoros Shaman 8x8
When having six-wheel drive simply isn't enough, there's the Avtoros Shaman. Technically speaking, it's road legal, though it's not what you'd call a corner carver. In fact, it's best to avoid corners altogether, because while it does have axles that turn, eight tyres changing direction can potentially violate the laws of physics. With 170 horsepower it isn't even remotely fast, and the interior looks like the economy section of a Boeing 737. It doesn't sound like such a great deal considering its price of roughly £165,000.
What it does do, however, is go anywhere it damn well pleases. The large tyres and eight-wheel drive give it biblical grip to climb or crawl over just about anything. Just don't expect to get there fast.
Any sports car converted to a battle car
Here's the wildcard of the bunch. As attention-getting as all these massive off-roaders are, you'll get just as much attention bombing down the road in a lifted Subaru Legacy, or in this case, a crazy off-road Mazda MX-5. The formula is simple: raise suspension, add meaty tyres, bolt on a light bar, and have at it.
Realistically speaking, building a bona fide battle car is probably the only such vehicle on this list that could be within reach of us mere mortals. So go ahead and mount that MG TF body to an old Discovery chassis, or add a few more hockey pucks to lift the body a bit higher on that tired Porsche 924. After all, we're now living in the age of the SUV – who says we can't build our own from the cars we really want to drive?
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