VIDEO: Unicat Amerigo International 4x4 RV guided tour
Click image for photo gallery
If road- tripping with Granny and Grandpa in their greyhound-sized RV with a Saturn SL2 in tow doesn't peg your excitement meter, perhaps you're the kind of person who'd prefer to explore the road less traveled (or experience plain old roadless travel) in something like a Unicat expedition vehicle.
The Unicats resemble Dakar support trucks on the outside, but are fitted with interiors that look like they'd be right at home in a cabin cruiser. There's a reason the company refers to their rigs as "land yachts." Unicat takes the concept of RVing to its outermost extremes. For example, the Amerigo International 4x4 (above) has an operating range of 2,000 miles with a full fuel load and can handle almost any terrain -- rock, desert, water four feet deep, etc. -- while providing the amenities someone who just laid out $600,000 probably expects. For instance, there's a queen-size bed, a working galley, and a bathroom inside the big box behind the cab. redundant GPS systems help you find your way into and out of the middle of nowhere, and instead of a sensible Saturn sedan, the Unicats can be outfitted with any number of terrain-appropriate supplemental vehicles ranging from a dirt bike, to a quad, to a Zodiac inflatable boat. Since it's classified as an RV, you don't need a special license to drive the thing, either. Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont got a guided tour of an Amerigo International by Unicat CEO Avi Meyers, which you can watch after the jump.
We've also included galleries of a pair of the company's other offerings, the Amerigo Unimog 4x4, and our favorite, the Unicat EX70-HD / MAN TGA 6x6 -- a six-wheeled monster with a loft bedroom, hideaway storage for a quad, an espresso machine, and a dishwasher. If the Jawas didn't have Sandcrawlers, they'd be tooling around in one of these.
[Sources: Mahalo Daily, Unicat]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rob 9:34PM (2/07/2008)
Nah, go American. Your typical driver can make turns in them too.
http://www.earthroamer.com/tab_xpedition_vehicles/vehicles.html
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Jake 9:58PM (2/07/2008)
pssh. It's only got 300 hp. My Camaro can beat that thing...
I'm kidding. I have no Camaro or mullet anywhere on my person. That thing's is the definition of an automotive hoss. And I want one.
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Justin 11:05PM (2/07/2008)
Oh noes! (insert random cafe comment here)
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AMcA 11:05PM (2/07/2008)
The comment about "a sensible Saturn sedan" makes me wonder: why are sensible Saturn sedans the car of choice for towing behind an RV?
I've noticed this before. Does anyone know why?
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Alex Nunez 11:08PM (2/07/2008)
The SL (and other Saturns) can be flat-towed, making them a popular RV "dinghy."
RLQ 2:20AM (2/08/2008)
Looks very militaryish.
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Paul 5:21PM (2/10/2008)
We need those to be released in Australia, now then i could have a real outback holiday
http://www.modifiedcarforums.com/
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Matt 12:55AM (2/08/2008)
cool truck
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Das Boese 12:59AM (2/08/2008)
Unimogs and TGAs are some of the most capable offroad trucks in existence. Though I'd rather take an ex-military Unimog... They can be had relatively cheap since they're auctioned off with minor defects after the conscripts try their best to wreck 'em for a few years (I know it, I've been one XD), plus they have that cool roof hatch and machinegun mount, hehe.
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Buckus 1:38AM (2/08/2008)
My understanding about the Saturn's being towed behind RV's all the time is that it is because they do not need a special engine modification in order to be towed. I think the modification most vehicles need in order to be towed is to have an oil pump installed that will lube the engine parts while it's being towed but not have the engine on. I could be waaaaay off. Correct me if I'm wrong.
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Mirko 3:18AM (2/08/2008)
@Buckus
I think the modification most vehicles need in order to be towed is to have an oil pump installed that will lube the engine parts while it's being towed but not have the engine on.
With a manual gearbox in neutral, why would the engine need lubriciation?
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nine 4:02AM (2/08/2008)
on most manual gearboxes, the oil pump is driven from the input shaft. Being flat-towed in neutral, the whole output side of the gearbox is spun by the driveshaft, but without the input shaft being spun. don't have to do this too long before you cook bearings
nine
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calebe 10:33AM (2/08/2008)
I'll take the Unimog thanks. The Man is cool but a little over kill.
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George 10:46AM (2/08/2008)
Dude, that chick has the largest hands on a woman I have ever seen. Its like that episode of Sienfeld w/ the chick with the man-hands...
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Heydn 12:12PM (2/08/2008)
Ahh, Veronica Belmont... so beautiful
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Commuter 2:39PM (2/08/2008)
Saturn trannys have their oil pump driven off of the output shaft so they can be towed with the drive wheels on the ground without burning themselves up.
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Robert Ryan 5:23PM (2/08/2008)
The TGA's are used as an Outback Tour Bus here along with the Australian OKA.
http://www.redcentre.com.au/brochure/1-3.jpg
http://www.mtbuffaloresort.com.au/activities/5_star_adventures/images/OKA-Bus-in-snow.jpg
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