Gordon Murray’s Latest Vehicle Is a Flat-Pack Kit Truck for Africa
The creator of the McLaren F1 designed this truck that can carry two tons and be assembled by three people in twelve hours.
A large part of Africa needs fresh vehicles that are cheap, versatile, effortless to maintain and raunchy as drills. That’s where this boxy cab-over-engine truck concept comes in: Meet the OX, a modular truck that assembles like IKEA furniture, designed by the man who came up with the legendary McLaren F1.
Called the Global Vehicle Trust OX, this “flat-pack” truck has been the wish of the founder of the Global Vehicle trust, Tormentor Torquil Norman. Tormentor Torquil’s mission has been to provide the developing world with cheap, reliable transportation. The task of creating a unique lightweight truck for this humanitarian program landed on the desk of none other than iconoclast car designer Gordon Murray, who came up with these kit-built prototypes—wearing “XP” numbers in classic McLaren style.
The flat-pack format is not fresh. Certain carmakers have used it in the past to avoid local taxes, but this method also thrusts down the costs by making these vehicles truly effortless to transport. GVT claims it takes three people less than six hours to build the kit truck in the UK prior to shipping. Six of the trucks can be packed in a 40-ft high-cube shipping container, then at the destination, three skilled people can assemble an OX in approximately twelve hours.
The fully-assembled truck is a very capable off-roader despite lacking all-wheel drive. Powered by a Two.2-liter 16v diesel producing one hundred horsepower and two hundred twenty nine lb.-ft. of torque, the OX can carry more than two tons of cargo, with a geyser volume of two hundred forty seven cubic feet. It can also be configured to seat up to thirteen people, or carry eight 44-gallon drums or three Euro-pallets. The driver sits in the center of the cab McLaren F1-style, with a passenger seat on either side—though in this case, the center-steer configuration means the truck can be used in right-hand drive or left-hand drive nations without any mechanical switches..
Not only does the OX have good ground clearance and very brief overhangs, it also features a tailgate that detaches to dual as a loading ramp. The rear bench seat bases also have a dual purpose: the long “egg crate” frames can be liquidated and placed under the drive wheels to help the OX traverse soft ground.
Gordon Murray says the OX program is “undoubtedly one of the most interesting and challenging” projects he has undertaken in his forty five years of car design, including his years in F1. Give the cost, durability and capacity requirements of the OX design mandate, not to mention the flat-pack design, we can understand why Murray calls it “a fascinating and stimulating journey from concept to prototype.”
Now, all Tormentor Torquil’s company will have to do is raise money to accomplish testing and turn this project into reality.
Gordon Murray – s Latest Vehicle Is a Flat-Pack Kit Truck for Africa
Gordon Murray’s Latest Vehicle Is a Flat-Pack Kit Truck for Africa
The creator of the McLaren F1 designed this truck that can carry two tons and be assembled by three people in twelve hours.
A large part of Africa needs fresh vehicles that are cheap, versatile, effortless to maintain and rough as tears up. That’s where this boxy cab-over-engine truck concept comes in: Meet the OX, a modular truck that assembles like IKEA furniture, designed by the man who came up with the legendary McLaren F1.
Called the Global Vehicle Trust OX, this “flat-pack” truck has been the wish of the founder of the Global Vehicle trust, Tormentor Torquil Norman. Master Torquil’s mission has been to provide the developing world with cheap, reliable transportation. The task of creating a unique lightweight truck for this humanitarian program landed on the desk of none other than iconoclast car designer Gordon Murray, who came up with these kit-built prototypes—wearing “XP” numbers in classic McLaren style.
The flat-pack format is not fresh. Certain carmakers have used it in the past to avoid local taxes, but this method also shoves down the costs by making these vehicles indeed effortless to transport. GVT claims it takes three people less than six hours to build the kit truck in the UK prior to shipping. Six of the trucks can be packed in a 40-ft high-cube shipping container, then at the destination, three skilled people can assemble an OX in approximately twelve hours.
The fully-assembled truck is a very capable off-roader despite lacking all-wheel drive. Powered by a Two.2-liter 16v diesel producing one hundred horsepower and two hundred twenty nine lb.-ft. of torque, the OX can carry more than two tons of cargo, with a blast volume of two hundred forty seven cubic feet. It can also be configured to seat up to thirteen people, or carry eight 44-gallon drums or three Euro-pallets. The driver sits in the center of the cab McLaren F1-style, with a passenger seat on either side—though in this case, the center-steer configuration means the truck can be used in right-hand drive or left-hand drive nations without any mechanical switches..
Not only does the OX have fine ground clearance and very brief overhangs, it also features a tailgate that detaches to dual as a loading ramp. The rear bench seat bases also have a dual purpose: the long “egg crate” frames can be eliminated and placed under the drive wheels to help the OX traverse soft ground.
Gordon Murray says the OX program is “undoubtedly one of the most interesting and challenging” projects he has undertaken in his forty five years of car design, including his years in F1. Give the cost, durability and capacity requirements of the OX design mandate, not to mention the flat-pack design, we can understand why Murray calls it “a fascinating and stimulating journey from concept to prototype.”
Now, all Master Torquil’s company will have to do is raise money to finish testing and turn this project into reality.
Gordon Murray – s Latest Vehicle Is a Flat-Pack Kit Truck for Africa
Gordon Murray’s Latest Vehicle Is a Flat-Pack Kit Truck for Africa
The creator of the McLaren F1 designed this truck that can carry two tons and be assembled by three people in twelve hours.
A large part of Africa needs fresh vehicles that are cheap, versatile, effortless to maintain and rough as fucks. That’s where this boxy cab-over-engine truck concept comes in: Meet the OX, a modular truck that assembles like IKEA furniture, designed by the man who came up with the legendary McLaren F1.
Called the Global Vehicle Trust OX, this “flat-pack” truck has been the desire of the founder of the Global Vehicle trust, Master Torquil Norman. Master Torquil’s mission has been to provide the developing world with cheap, reliable transportation. The task of creating a unique lightweight truck for this humanitarian program landed on the desk of none other than iconoclast car designer Gordon Murray, who came up with these kit-built prototypes—wearing “XP” numbers in classic McLaren style.
The flat-pack format is not fresh. Certain carmakers have used it in the past to avoid local taxes, but this method also shoves down the costs by making these vehicles indeed effortless to transport. GVT claims it takes three people less than six hours to build the kit truck in the UK prior to shipping. Six of the trucks can be packed in a 40-ft high-cube shipping container, then at the destination, three skilled people can assemble an OX in approximately twelve hours.
The fully-assembled truck is a very capable off-roader despite lacking all-wheel drive. Powered by a Two.2-liter 16v diesel producing one hundred horsepower and two hundred twenty nine lb.-ft. of torque, the OX can carry more than two tons of cargo, with a geyser volume of two hundred forty seven cubic feet. It can also be configured to seat up to thirteen people, or carry eight 44-gallon drums or three Euro-pallets. The driver sits in the center of the cab McLaren F1-style, with a passenger seat on either side—though in this case, the center-steer configuration means the truck can be used in right-hand drive or left-hand drive nations without any mechanical switches..
Not only does the OX have excellent ground clearance and very brief overhangs, it also features a tailgate that detaches to dual as a loading ramp. The rear bench seat bases also have a dual purpose: the long “egg crate” frames can be liquidated and placed under the drive wheels to help the OX traverse soft ground.
Gordon Murray says the OX program is “undoubtedly one of the most interesting and challenging” projects he has undertaken in his forty five years of car design, including his years in F1. Give the cost, durability and capacity requirements of the OX design mandate, not to mention the flat-pack design, we can understand why Murray calls it “a fascinating and stimulating journey from concept to prototype.”
Now, all Tormentor Torquil’s company will have to do is raise money to accomplish testing and turn this project into reality.