What’s got a six-wheel-drive system, 38-inch off-road tyres, a 6.2-litre LS3 V8 and more attitude than Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry?
The SF6x6G, that’s what.
This jaw-dropping creation was developed by So Flo, a South Florida garage that specialises in customising Jeeps.
The design is described as “unapologetic, aggressive” and is achieved by cutting the Jeep Gladiator in half, extending the frame and adding another axle.
There’s also a custom-made front end with a fibreglass ‘Predator’ bonnet, steel bumper with winch, unique front wheel flares, power-operated side steps and more multicoloured LED lights than a Miami night club.
According to So Flo, the only original parts on the SF6x6G are the doors – which can be removed.
Riding on gargantuan 38-inch Patagonia tyres, the 6x6 Jeep Gladiator has been built for off-roading (not to mention towing; it can haul up to 5400kg!). It has a full-time six-wheel-drive system achieved by reassembling and re-gearing 5.13 axles and adding a middle axle fitted with a Detroit True Track Locker with a 9-inch differential.
The big all-American beast has significantly more ground clearance than its donor vehicle (which in Australia can only tow a relatively paltry 2721kg!), thanks to a 5-inch lift kit, while Falcon Shocks deliver an impressive 14-inches of wheel travel at each axle.
Power is provided by a fettled 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine which bangs out 225kW (300hp) and 950Nm of torque. That setup costs around $US150,000 or $A210,000.
Want more gristle? Add another $US30,000 and you get a Chevy 6.2-litre V8 engine swap, which takes the price to around $US180,000 or a cool $A250,000. There's always the upcoming Jeep Hemi V8 too.
The So Flo 6x6 Jeep Gladiator also comes with a custom roll cage and rear tray, marine-grade weather-resistant leather seats and a range of outrageous illumination features, including unique headlights, multicolour ‘halo’ lights, plus LED light cars inside the vehicle and rock lights underneath “…that make the whole suspension glow”.
These are all adjusted via a custom control panel in the dashboard.
Oh, we almost forgot to mention the entire vehicle, including the tray, is doused in 75 litres (20 gallons) of scratch-resistant ooze, a three-part epoxy and Kevlar-fibre concoction that creates a hard coating.
Makes a rock-hopping Sherp seem cheap by comparison!