How they do things in Europe

[tony_lee]

Those looking for the ultimate off-roading vehicle regardless of its practicability might consider something like this monster seen here at the Abenteuer & Allrad off-road show in Bad Kissingen, Bararia, Germany.







Said to guzzle over 60 litres of diesel costing Euro 1.20 for every 100km down the road (downhill and with a strong wind behind) it is not for those without deep pockets

or perhaps this one



The camping ground currently has over 1500 vehicles packed into every available space and is the perfect place to scout out the perfect vehicle to suit your tastes. The actual show is actually now eclipsed by the atmosphere in the campground which is probably not what the organisers intended.

Just a very tiny part of the whole camp

[4X4Dodger]

These trucks are great and are seen all over the world with mostly Europeans driving them.

There is a history to them.

Back from the 70's onward companies like Encounter Overland were doing overland tours of Africa leaving London and ending in Capetown South Africa. The typical trip was more than 20 weeks carrying 20 passengers and it was mostly camping. Some companies are still doing these trips but on a more limited basis.

At that time most of the Overland tour companies use old English Bedford trucks which could carry about 20 people in the back and still all the camp gear and food etc. These were great trips and true adventure.

This kind of overland travel then became quite popular with many companies doing similar trips through South America, Asia and still Africa.

The market for these truck grew out of that early adventurous overland tour business. Now Sadly the globe is so torn with small vicious wars and religious conflict that these companies find it hard to do true transcontinental trips like the epic London - Kabul - Katmandu - India trek that was the gold standard of the business.

But I'd give my right arm for one of these great trucks and I know exactly where I'd take it....

[tony_lee]

For all sorts of reasons, campfires don't seem to absolutely essential for Europeans to enjoy their lifestyle.

If you could see the whole gamut of RV vehicles here it would be obvious that there is a huge variation and those monster rigs are usually surrounded by tents and much smaller vehicles. Have a close look at the photo right at the bottom and count the number of bigrigs vs little rigs. One to a hundred perhaps.

Another factor that comes into play is that travelers from the 'rest of the world' - meaning almost every western country apart from the USA, actually travel rather than sitting in one place for most of the year. This means hardly ever being on hookups and often a long way from any sort of back-up so they tend to be a bit more utilitarian in their design. They also need to be 100% winter-capable.

Those type expedition vehicles are way over some kind of top.

compared to a typical class A????

[Naio]

Looks like a long hike up the stairs into those rigs when you need a salt shaker by the fire.

I just don't understand the appeal of those things. Maybe some kind of military fetish? The tiny windows look like gun ports (on an oven). They look like they would terrorize the locals.

[RobertRyan]

pnichols wrote:
Wow ... and to think that the 1%'ers in the U.S. are beginning to have to be more careful with the image that they're projecting among the have-nots!!!

Those type expedition vehicles are way over some kind of top.

I'd much prefer something more modest, like this:

Different needs, different vehicles, that modest vehicle would not be on their Radar

[pnichols]

Wow ... and to think that the 1%'ers in the U.S. are beginning to have to be more careful with the image that they're projecting among the have-nots!!!

Those type expedition vehicles are way over some kind of top.

I'd much prefer something more modest, like this:

[tony_lee]

One special feature of expedition trucks with huge tyres is when they get bogged, they dig themselves a hell of a lot deeper into the dirt so they are just that much harder to unbog. With a 6 X 6, that bogging process just happens 50% faster.

Two years ago there was a lot of rain and the campground turned into a quagmire. There is a picture of a 6 X 6 sitting forlornly in the middle of the campground down to the chassis.

Another notable feature of many - shared by my F350 which is a worry - is they have massive tow-hooks on the front and nothing similar on the back. Hard not to draw the conclusion that they get bogged easily but aren't much use getting others unbogged.

[tony_lee]

Hard to read the specifications but the one of interest might be the price - 600,000 Euro plus 20% tax








This one is three levels high when parked and has a hydraulic lift to garage the scout car under the rear. 4 metres high (when folded down), 2.5 metres wide and 10 metres long and weighs 24 tonne.
Owned by the same man for 8 years, has traveled all over Africa and the Americas.



Most of these sort of vehicles have the living quarters mounted on a sub frame which is then connected to the chassis using one of several types of mountings which allow the chassis to twist while the living quarters stay straight.



Not a trace of bling inside or outside and this perhaps distinguishes these sort of vehicles from the typical US Class A. The bedroom is on the top level, dining/lounge on the middle level and kitchen bathroom on the entry level.

Price - if you have to ask, you can't afford it. Delivery from date of order - about two years.




Few more pictures at https://picasaweb.google.com/114611728110254134379/TURKEY2015 right at the end, but no captions yet

[Winnebago_Bob]

More pictures please.

I like the black one. I could never afford it, or successfully drive it, but it's pretty cool LOL.

[Dave_E]

Thanks for the pictures