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Speaking of DAF trucks, can anyone remember the DAF 95 TurboTwin Dakar racing trucks from the late 80's?
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In 1982, 1985 and 1987, DAF DAF 'Team de Rooy' won the Truck Dakar Rally. In 1988 they literally launched the two most daring - badass racing trucks of all time, the DAF 95 Turbo Twin X1 and X2. Each truck was powered by two 11.6 litre diesel engines and each engine fuelled by three turbochargers. Each truck produced 2400 horse power, or 1765 KW. The eleven ton trucks flew past motor bikes in the desert and were faster than the Porsches and Peugeots - reaching speeds of over 240 kilometres an hour (150 mph).
Would love a Russian Kamaz, though:
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Probably need to own an oil-producing country to afford the fuel bills, though!
1988 was the year DAF had the enormous fatal crash in the Dakar rally - I went to college day-release with one of the guys that survived (they sorted him an office job once recovered from massive injuries). There was a BBC documentary this year where it was great to see him interviewed.
The (Leyland) T244 and Dakar rally trucks were completely unrelated. DAF also did their own unrelated military models.
T244 was the Bedford replacement - now largely obsolete due to need for IED blast protection etc (often ground up designs around V shaped blast deflecting hulls). MAN 4x4 etc now replaced it for other general duties (Leyland / DAF chose not to tender).
Lots of buses in Iceland built on Scania and Merc 4x4 truck chassis. There were some glacier tour buses built on MAN 8x8s
For fellow dakar fans look up the polish breslau warsaw rally. Some insane stuff from there including one of the kamaz trucks above spitting water out its exhaust cab mounted exhausts on a deep water crossing not clear quite how its got in - split exhaust or if it has conrods of kryptonite....but impressive none the less.
Mick, saw a few 6x6 leyland daf tractor units in equatorial guinea working out of k5 dock the first time i went in 2009 they were splitting new fresh green paint jobs
Was back in august - they were facked. Took a walk through k5 and many had been destined to the big parts bin in the corner to keep the remainder on the road.
Not as impressive as ampthill and scuds photos but fairly modern africa/me
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This road just colapsed under the bus
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Rangey tow truck off to rescue the bus- note the bullet hole in our hilux dash.
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Why the roads were colapsing.
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Firing throuh the desert sands of turkmenistan in a toyota previa of all things ! - safer than the prado we had the second time as the driver was thinking he was in the dakar in the prado.
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Nothing for miles but plenty of washboard in the sand - wasnt much sleep on those journeys.
I have a few others but i need to edit out company logos first and my laptops in the office.
Mick, I remember the '88 Dakar crash, but only vaguely, I didn't have the interest in it then that I do now. Seeing what those MAN and Kamaz trucks can be made to do, I've always thought that converting the rear to an expedition back would make a great long-distance tough camper, but of course those things are built from the ground up for racing.
A simpler, similar style 4x4 truck would look cool, though.
This is rather what I had in mind:
Aye - one of the photos i need to remove logos from is of a 6x6 man selfsufficent slickline truck
Will you lot stop it? For two reasons:
1. I have travel envy, and truck envy.
2. I cannot compete, unless you count pictures of a beige Austin Princess parked in the Lake District.
One of the guys at work comes from Zimbabwe and apprenticed as an HGV mechanic over there (now with an engineering degree he is a VERY capable guy). He worked on lots of DAF 3600s back in the day. I think the newer stuff is probably a bit lightweight for Africa (more aimed at economy and payload in Europe).
We used to make the Leyland Comet for Africa - simple and ugly rigid beast with a stripped out Roadrunner cab plonked on top. No rear dampers.
http://www.commercialmotor.com/big-lorry-blog/leyland-comets-and-other-galat
We Certainly saw leyland Comets. Apparently they were let down by politics of aid. They would be provided for a project or time period. But there wasn't a long term spares plan or not a long term affordable spares plan
We got friendly with some people travelling in a Magirus-deutz jupiter 6x6
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I think it was an air cooled V8. Certainly no synchromesh. They let me drive it. I only ground to halt once due to an inability to get it into any gear :oops:. But it was brilliant way more mobile than our thing. A huge bonnet like that is a challenge for low speed manouvres. But it did have a gauge to tell you which way the steering wheels were facing. The same guy also owned a motor home based on a Hanomag
That looked the perfect size for the tough mobile camper. I think it was one of these
[img] http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CmBE8-xUqqg/SrTfpfSyYUI/AAAAAAAABYI/322K7ordtrw/s1600/Hanomag%2BAL28%2B3 [/img]
Good to see your photos trail rat
I do like the Paris Dakar concept. We went through a town in Niger after it had been through.So we heard alot about the logistics. That is the logistics of getting enough prostitutes in and out of each over night camp, apparently they needed hundreds. Never mind morals this was 1988 the height of Western fear over an AIDS epidemic. So my view of the event isn't quite what it was
This thread just gets more and more dangerous 🙂
Luckily nothing on ebay at the moment. I always end up here:-
http://www.shropshiregunbus.co.uk/vehicles.asp
But imagine the reality of a Pinz (swing axle suspension) would be pretty awful on road.
Those Pinzguars are glorious
what an awesome thread! Thanks folks.
Never really got the pinzgauer - always seemed very underpowered for the size and capacityof the truck.
That video just showed how stressed the engine was - i appreciate it is in low box and negotiating a climb but that engines working its nuts off.
That said there have been some tasty conversions put together.
Liking the Pinz 6x6!
Ampthill, that Hanomag is brilliant! Looks like it's got a traditional fairground caravan stuck on the back. All it needs is a .50 cal mounted on that roof hatch. 😀
But imagine the reality of a Pinz (swing axle suspension) would be pretty awful on road.
I found the Pinz a damn sight nicer to drive on (and off) road than the Land Rover, and I say that as a (recovering) Land Rover obsessive. Handle way better than they look like they should - that chassis/drivetrain is just genius. The old petrol ones do seem under-engined by modern standards, but compared to a Land Rover of the same vintage (we're talking the days of 2.25 petrols in 12 seater 109 station wagons...) they start to seem more acceptable. From memory, the 4x4 Pinz is only around 9" longer than a Landy 90 too, they're smaller than they look.
trail rat
You may well be right about that Pinz'
But that Bedford of mine was a 5.4 litre straight 6 but only 100 hp. It only had 4 speed box. This in a vehicle designed to carry 4 tonnes. That was really under powered. Although that doesn't stop me loving it
My sister and her husband travelled from Switzerland to Capetown in a LandRover they'd converted. The did it in a leisurely 2 or so years and it must have been truly unforgettable.
While in Istanbul a couple of years ago I spotted an overland MAN truck in a park by the Bosphorous with a couple of MTB''s locked on the back. I can't remember the name of it,but it was a husband and wife and their 6 year old travelling round the world. They had a blog and some really good videos too.
WANT!
Loving the ebay relist for the unimog, couldn't get any interest with the auction starting at £3500... so up it to £4000 (BIN still £6500)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271363214467?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2661
The dream...... IT LIVES 😀
Oh this is very nice:
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[url= http://bringatrailer.com/2014/02/26/mega-westy-1965-unimog-camper/ ]http://bringatrailer.com/2014/02/26/mega-westy-1965-unimog-camper/[/url]
Have a really close look at the accommodation.
Want that Unimog. But is that the rear 2/3 of a VW T25?!
edit: if I'd clicked the link I wouldn't have needed to ask. Doh.
Sweet, being it back from CA though is quite a long way from home!
Hmm that's only an hour drive for me. I might just have found something less economical than my 7.4l '97 Suburban....
Great thread 🙂 and the pictures are fantastic. It also reminds me of this amazing story from the BBC a couple of years ago about Gunther Holtorf's round the world trip in a G Wagon
[url] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18910560 [/url]
Everyone buy the beasts you are drooling over and lend it to me for the Alps this summer please.
Another low mileage 404, Peebles, good job I'm too busy to get down there.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNIMOG-404s-SHOOTING-PARTY-/281390068433?ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:GB:3160
Mate of mine is selling his unimog. It's in cornwall though...
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For some proper African off roading, I really want one of the 4x4 nissan mini vans they use for the safari transport.
I swear the bloke took that places some proper off roaders would be challenged with.
Sadly they only sell them in Kenya and Tanzania (where I looked), but then they are right hand drive so its a dream of mine.