It goes over extremely rough terrains. It turns like a tank and drifts on ice. It floats. It eats Nissan Muranos for breakfast. Say hello to the Russian SHERP ATV ($65,000).
Invented by the famous (in Russia) technologist Aleksei Garagashian, the ATV has a funny, Tonka-toy look, but it actually is a super-capable machine. It’s designed to work in extreme surroundings, reaching places no other vehicle can manage. Weighing only 2,866 pounds and wearing massive self-inflating tires (1600x600x25), cetrianly helps move its steel body over obstacles as tall as 27.5 inches. Power comes from a proprietary Kubota four-pot 1.5-liter turbodiesel engine (linked to a five-speed manual) with a shy output of just 44bhp, so this thing is not exactly quick, topping just 28 mph on land and 3.7 mph swimming in water.
The two-seater also features a simple skid-steer system that allows it to turn in it’s own length. Available as a standard pickup with a soft top (tent), or a hard top version dubbed ‘Kung’ (with a soft, “transformable interior”), the SHERP seems like the right type of vehicle for hunters and fishermen, and perhaps rescue services. See it in full action in the video below
