SEALY, TEXAS - This is just too big and brutal to call a bakkie, but it will certainly be the envy of many South African bakkie owners when it makes its debut in the USA soon.
We’re speaking of Hennessey’s newest creation, the MAMMOTH 6X6, which takes the recently announced Ram TRX performance pick-up truck to the next level with a 6x6 conversion as well as an engine upgrade.
As a reminder, the standard Ram TRX is already the fastest production bakkie in the world, featuring a 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 which is rated at 523kW and 881Nm. But the Texas based tuner has tossed the 6.2 unit out and replaced it with a 7-litre ‘Hellephant’ engine, which it says will deliver over 895kW. That’s certainly ferocious, but bear in mind that there will be a lot of weight to shift here.
For the record, this ‘Hellephant’ in the room is a crate engine sold by Mopar, which is loosely based on the Hellcat V8, but upsized to a 7-litre displacement through an increased bore and stroke.
In addition to the new engine and six-wheel drive system, the MAMMOTH 6X6 has fully upgraded off-road suspension as well as upgraded front and rear bumpers and a customised interior.
Hennessey, which has already made waves in the pick-up world with its Ford-based ‘VelociRaptor’ 6x6 models, is planning to make just three of these Ram TRX models and they’re not going to be cheap, with US clients set to pay $500 000, which equates to R8.4 million at today’s exchange rate.
“MAMMOTH 6X6 powered by a 1200 HP Hellephant motor is just a completely ridiculous idea, which is exactly why we are doing this,” said company founder and CEO, John Hennessey.
“We are only going to build three examples which will likely make this the most exclusive and most expensive truck we’ve ever built.”