RideLust

The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Image: Mercedes-Benz

If you’re Mercedes-Benz and you’re launching a new version of the legendary Geländewagen in Australia, you probably want to demonstrate how rugged and off-road capable your new truck is. What better way to do so than to pick a trail known to be among the most challenging in the world, like the Canning Stock Route that traverses the unforgiving Australian Outback? Some 1,150 miles long, the Canning Stock Route was used by early 20th century ranchers to get cattle to market. It really hasn’t been improved in the century since, and driving its length is a strain on both driver and machine. Read More…

Have you ever wanted a vehicle that was capable of tackling the toughest off-road terrain while at the same time giving you the feeling the pure exclusivity? Well look no further because the Rally Fighter from Local Motors may just be the ride for you. Designed using a collective influence model and powered by a 430 hp GM V8, the Rally Fighter is a vehicle that definitely performs as well as it looks. Translogic’s Bradley Hasemeyer spent the day with Local Motor’s co-founder and CEO Jay Rogers to discuss not only how the Rally Fighter came into being, but how it’s built process is one of the most efficient in the industry.

To find out more about the Rally Fighter head on over to Local-Motors.com, and make sure to click through for the video
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For those of you out there with Jeep Wranglers in your garage listen up! This is the Hauk Jeep River Raider from Hauk Designs and it’s one bad ass off-road machine. Each vehicle is custom built to its owners exact specifications and can be done up as wild or mild as your wallet allows. For instance, engine choices range from a 5.7-liter HEMI rated at 405 hp, to a stump pulling 636 hp 7.2-liter HEMI. All of this power is transferred to the ground by way of dual Dana 60 axles with front and rear selectable lockers. Rims are custom fabricated 20″ Raceline DOT approved bead lock wheels with 40″ Toyo Open Country MT rubber. LED head and taillights, undercarriage armor system, baja light bar, and River Raider engine Snorkel system are also included, and will help you reach your destination, where ever it may be. As mentioned prices on the Hauk Jeep River Raider vary per build and option sheet, but feel free to head on over to the Hauk Design website to find out more information.
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Image: Jaguar Land Rover South Africa, via Inside Line

Your opinion may differ, but I’m calling a battery powered safari vehicle a really, really bad idea. Sure, you can get closer to wildlife without the fumes or exhaust note of a turbo-diesel warning them of your presence, but is that really a good idea in an open vehicle with limited range? Do you really want to surprise a sleeping lion, only to find out that 12 miles of reserve range only equals 2 miles with the accelerator pinned to the floorboard? Getting eaten by a wild animal always struck me as a stupid way to die, and this particular EV conversion might as well come with nozzles that spray a basting sauce on tourists. Read More…

There are plenty of off-road vehicles capable of getting you from point A to point B when the going gets rough. My own FJ Cruiser is a great example: it’s rugged enough, cheap and relatively comfortable as long as your expectations are modest. A Jeep Wrangler also fits this mold, as does a Nissan Xterra. What if your expectations for comfort and civility off-road are a little bit higher? Sure, there’s the Range Rover, but some people don’t take kindly to electrical problems stranding them fifty miles from the nearest cell tower. What’s a well-heeled outdoorsman to do? Why, purchase a Mercedes-Benz Gelaendewagen, that’s what. Below, Evo’s Chris Harris explains why the venerable Mercedes box-on-wheels should be parked in your garage.

I’d be the first to admit that a Jeep Wrangler has some pretty impressive off-road capability. That goes up even further when you start adding aftermarket suspension parts, skid plates, rock rails and bigger tires. No matter how much money you sink into your build, the most common point of failure remains the loose nut behind the wheel. Take the driver of this particular Jeep, for example: the Wrangler had zero trouble climbing the boulder, but there’s no way the driver is getting off of it without the help of a high lift jack, or that winch on his front bumper. Of course I could be missing the point entirely, and if the guy parked his Jeep atop the rock just to rotate his tires, he gets mad props in my book. Enjoy the vid below, found on StreetFire. Read More…

Image: Bremach USA

If you wanted a go-anywhere truck to haul you and your stuff out where the busses don’t run, Mercedes-Benz’s Unimog is perhaps the best choice in the world. What if you’re concerned with saving the planet, even after the zombie apocalypse, and you prefer your heavy duty 4×4 truck in EV flavor? Until now, you were out of luck, but Bremach is looking to change that with their T.Rex. Sure, you can still get it in fossil fuel versions (one variant comes equipped with a 6.0 liter Chevy V8), but tree hugging survivalists can also opt for a hybrid version, a compressed natural gas version or a full-on EV model. Read More…

Yuck.  Photo courtesy of The Hookups.

There are few things in life more frustratingly debilitating for an auto enthusiast than motion sickness.  This mercilessly vile condition is caused by a disconnect between motion sensed by your inner ear and a lack of motion perceived by your eyes (often due to reading).  This confuses the brain which causes many of us to go green in the gills and then inevitably become the subject of an embarrassing story.

Motion sickness is especially, and understandably, tough on rally co-drivers who are responsible for navigating a car from their pace notes in daytime and at night, through twists and turns, and across jumps, gravel and other gut-churning terrain.  And even some of the best drivers on this planet are susceptible to the need, the need to heave.

Sadly, motion sickness can strike at any time, as people who could usually write a dissertation in a speeding Caterham Seven can suddenly and surprisingly become deathly ill while reading a map of the interstate.  But don’t let a weak stomach hold you back from your competitive dreams – fear not, I have you covered.  Whether you’re just starting out as a co-driver in a stage rally, competing in a TSD, or are the designated navigator on a lengthy road trip, these tips from experienced rally co-drivers will help you keep the bile down.

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Image: Pirate 4x4

What do you call a desert race that combines hard core rock crawling and high speed blasts across open desert? One that taxes not only a driver’s ability, but the ultimate mechanical limits of the uber-heavy duty trucks they race? Such a race really does exist, and it’s called “King of the Hammers”. Run annually in the southern California desert, the race is a week long spectacle that draws serious off-road racers and fans alike. Not just a race, the event includes dinners, seminars, vendor displays and even a golf tournament. The highlight is, of course, the King of the Hammers race, held on the second-to-last day of the event. Video below. Read More…

From and automotive perspective I’ve always been jealous of those who live on the West Coast. They get the great weather, endless sunshine and beaches that seem to go on forever. Here in the North East we get a paltry 5 months of good weather mixed in with the occasional rain and snow storm – it sucks. Living here also means that there are many automotive based activities that we simply don’t have the real estate for. Take the dunes at Pismo Beach for example. Even though I’ve driven past them probably half-a-dozen times, I’ve yet to experience them first hand. This is something that has always been a dream of mine. I look at videos like the one below and can’t help but think that these guys look to be having the time of their friggin’ lives. Now I know I shouldn’t bitch because I’ve had some wonderful automotive opportunities come my way, but damn… this just looks like way to much fun not to be placed high up there on my automotive bucket list.
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