Unless you're a foreign military, government, or humanitarian organization, you're not getting your hands on the Jeep J8, a vehicle we think a number of Jeepers would be all over in about two seconds if it were to be offered in neighborhood dealerships. Available as a two-door pickup (above) or a four-door (like the civilian Wrangler Unlimited), the J8 goes on sale this month and was officially revealed at Euro Camp Jeep '08 in Germany.
Power comes from a 150-horse turbodiesel with 295 lb-ft of torque, with that juice going to all four wheels via a five-speed auto and Jeep's Command-Trac 4WD. The J8's built to be a workhorse, with a Dana 60 rear, leaf springs in back, upgraded brakes, and a revamped intake that lets it ford 30 inches of water and handle a sandstorm lasting up to five hours. Its max payload is 2,750 pounds, and it has a towing capacity of over 7,700 pounds. Because the J8's duties will vary depending upon who's placing the order, a variety of cargo and seating configurations are offered, as is left- or right-hand-drive. All this, and no, you can't order one. Yes, that sucks.
Members of the United States Armed Forces in need of a new vehicle just got bigger lift from General Motors. GM has revised its military discount program, allowing for increased savings over previous program iterations. Detailed information is available online at GMMilitaryDiscount.com for active and reserve members. The price reductions range from $1,500 for a Buick Enclave to $4,200 for a GMC Sierra. On top of that, other GM offered incentives may also be combined with the military program.
In order to promote the updated savings plan, the GM Military Discount Tour will be making stops at several different bases. The traveling show will feature a showroom complete with product specialists and a full lineup of GM's hottest products, making it even easier for time-constrained military personnel to get a feel for GM's most dynamic offerings.
Now that the Hummer -- the original Hummer H1 -- is distinctly out of flavor, the U.S. armed services are busy looking for its replacement. Having put out a request for proposals, one of the supposed leading candidates is this: a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle developed by Navistar and BAE Systems, Inc, a British defense industry firm. The two together already provide the H1's temporary replacement, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.
The Mad Max monstrosity has the same track as the H1, but that's about all they have in common. Built of many off-the-shelf components from Navistar's parts bin, the truck's modular build configuration makes an easier job of modifying it for different missions and repairing. It's shaped to disperse charges from roadside bombs, the armor is an inch thick, it has a flat floor to allow exit from either side of the vehicle, and it can escape a battle without a wheel and without engine cooling. Not bad. Follow the link to get the full specs on the military's potential new charge. But if they want something even more brutish, they could always go for this.
You may also remember that the producer of the original H1, AM General, is also working on its own candidate for the next Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, which we've yet to see.
Looking at this custom Porsche, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Swiss army had ordered up a fleet of military-spec 911s. Then you'd quickly realize that while it may be a versatile sports car, the 911 would not be the Porsche most utile for military applications, compared with, say, the Cayenne.
In reality what you're looking at is a "civilian" 911 tuned by aftermarket specialist, Sportec. Never mind the 800-horsepower engine this brat is packin', the real highlight is the original paint job. This 911 Sportec SPR1 is decked out in matte green, with dark wheels and a Swiss flag painted on the roof. The paramilitary hue might make it even harder to spot as it sprints to sixty in three seconds flat, that is assuming the Swiss machine can shift out of neutral.
Follow the jump to watch the video of the Porsche 911 Sportec SPR1 undergoing high-speed testing at Nardo.
Click for high-res gallery of camo and military-themed cars from SEMA
Considering that the majority of vehicles at SEMA tend to be rolling showcases for aftermarket companies, most of them are designed to attract as much attention as possible. After all, how better to make your car stand out from a sea of thousands than to give it an eye-popping paint job or use models or some other attention-getter (like 30-inch rims, maybe) to bring people into closer range to find out more about your products and services? It seems kind of ironic, then, that some have chosen to go the invisible route with their choice in exterior adornment -- as in camouflage. And then it struck us - that is precisely the point. Just like the new Malibu ads, invisible can be effective.
Follow the jump for more of the story and additional photos from SEMA.
click above image for more views of the AM General Humvee Prototype
Though normally hiding in bushes and waiting for the next-gen Mustang or Corvette Blue Devil to pass by, Brenda Priddy and pals sometimes spy things not meant for public consumption. They recently photographed a new AM General HUMVEE prototype that will be competing for the military's Future Tactical Truck System (FTTS) contract, which will produce the replacement for the current Humvee, of which some 140,000 are still in active service. Though prototypes from Lockheed Martin and other military contractors will also be submitted, this is AM General's bid to keep the Humvee in the game.
Follow the jump for more details and Priddy's own analysis of the vehicle that's aided by her consult with some military experts, and check out the high-res pics in our gallery below.
The French military may not be fighting in Iraq, but their tires are: Michelin just landed an exclusive $1.7 billion contract with the US Department of Defense to supply the American military behemoth with tires. For the next ten years (at least), every vehicle in the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps deployed around the world will be shod in Michelin rubber.
This isn't the first Pentagon contract Michelin has won, either. The French tire company previously won a contract worth $700 million to supply the tires for all US warplanes. In order to meet the enormous supply demands of the US military, Michelin has invested a reported $16 million. For the sake of our brave boys and girls serving overseas, let's hope the French tires don't throw up their arms and surrender at the first time of trouble. (No whitewalls, please.)
Not unlike other exotic Italian marques, Maserati has a tendency to dramatize the offering of any slight variation of its cars just a bit. It's somewhat excusable when you consider that, aside from the MC12 supercar, their line-up consists essentially of two models. But while it'd be all too easy to overlook and dismiss the launch of the Quattroporte Automatic, for Maserati this is more than just a new transmission – the newest offering from the Trident marque represents Maserati's venture into the mainstream. It's a bit sad in a way, that even under the wing of the all-conquering Fiat conglomerate, a brand like Maserati can't remain a niche marque. But in the "real world" even the fabled Trident brand needs to turn a profit to stay afloat, so they saddle that screaming Italian V8 with a torque converter for smoother shifting in the hope of attracting customers who'd otherwise buy a Jaguar or a BMW.
Maserati delivered the first seventy Quattroporte sedans equipped with the ZF-sourced transmission to European dealers just two short weeks after its official unveiling at the Detroit auto show. The ceremony took place in the picturesque courtyard at the military academy in Modena, near the Maserati factory. While we can't quite get our heads around the idea of Cadillac, for example, presenting their latest sedan at West Point, the Italians (with good reason) take real pride in their automobiles – plus it made for a beautiful photo-op, and we've got the shots for you in the gallery (and the release after the jump).
This scooter looks terribly exciting, till you learn that it needs Viagra. Sure, this Vespa Acma packs a badass barrel, but it was designed for transporting the cannons, not blasting other motorists. We wonder what the little 145cc engine would do when faced with the recoil, as well.
We'll admit that our French isn't what it once was, but the gist we took away from some research was that ACMA was a licensed assembler of Vespas in France and it was used by French Paratroopers in the late 1950s. The intimidation factor of puttering around on an "armed" Vespa would be fun. We're not sure how these looked on the battlefield though. We can't imagine that it'd be intimidating to see the troops roll in with olive drab Vespas. Even if they had a mortar barrel and shells on it, we think you'd surrender to laughter first. Apparently, though, these things were like the all-purpose little scooter that could. They even dropped them out of planes with parachutes. Still, it all smacks of something out of Monty Python to us, no matter how lethal. We also wonder if the riding posture is um, erect.
Could this be a future HUMMER? That's what a friend of Mobile Magazine's Dave White is hoping. The International MXT-MVA (Military Vehicle - Armored) is a variant of the MXT 4X4 pickup. While heavily armored, the all-terrain vehicle is more than powerful enough to quickly move five "sumo-sized" occupants with its V-8 diesel engine which produces 300 horsepower and over 500 lb-ft of torque. The bed and body of the MXT-MVA can easily be configured to hold soldiers and their gear, heavy weaponry, communication and navigation systems.
The military plans to use the vehicle for a variety of duties that include, but certainly aren't limited to an ambulance detail, a field shelter, and convoy protection. Unfortunately for White's friend, there are currently no plans to build the MXT-MVA for civilian use.
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