Sherp ATV Is A Go Anywhere Truck With Massive Tires

The little vehicle you see here isn't exactly a truck and it isn't exactly an ATV. It's a bit of a mix of the two and according to the folks who have seen it in action and the video you can watch below, the Sherp looks to be a capable little beastie. The hallmark feature of this thing are the massive tires that are self-inflating and have their own patent. Those tires are 1600x600x25, gigantic enough to allow the Sherp to embarrass obstacles up to 70cm tall.

Since the tires are so massive, the Sherp ditches traditional side doors for ingress and gets an interesting little front portal that driver and passenger climb through. Those massive tires also preclude any sort of normal steering system. Instead of wheels that turn left and right the Sherp uses a skid-steer system. Presumably that means it turns like a tank by moving wheels on each side in opposite direction allowing the Sherp to completely turn around in its own length.

Power for the Sherp comes from a Kubota 4-cylinder 1.5L turbo diesel engine packing 44hp. It's not exactly a vehicle you will cruise at highway speeds considering the 44hp gives it a top speed of 45 km/h on land. The transmission is a 5-speed unit and the Sherp can reach 6 km/h on water. Yep, those giant tires apparently allow the Sherp to float. Talk about all-terrain.

Sherp tips the scales at 1300kg and the entire machine is very simple. The body is essentially just a steel tub that has the tranny and other parts bolted to it. The Sherp should be up to some serious off-roading, assuming you can afford it. As simple as the machine is, it's quite expensive at $65,000 for the basic model or $70,000 for the Kung version with a hard top and soft, transformable interior.

SOURCE: Top Gear