The coolest offroader in the world costs $135,000 and doubles as a boat

Published on Apr 27, 2022 at 3:06 PM (UTC+4)
by Louise Cheer

Last updated on Jul 01, 2022 at 5:14 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

It has wheels bigger than me, can drive on water and only 10 have been made so far.

The Atlas ATV can travel 37mph on land and 4mph on water. It has three driving modes: front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and crab walk.

The first thing you notice about the ATV is its sheer size, it’s 2.8 metres (9 feet) tall, with most of its height coming from the tires, which stand at 1.65 metres (just over 5 feet; I am only 159.5cm, yes the extra 0.5cm matters).

WATCH THE ATLAS ATV IN ACTION:

It weighs 2.4 tons.

To help it carve through water, the tires are fitted with little ridges which act like paddles to propel it forward when it’s not on dry land.

READ MORE: The world’s largest SUV has 10 wheels and it weighs 21 tonnes

A pipe leading into the tires helps inflation and deflation to ensure ideal floating conditions, and the bottom of the vehicle is shaped like a boat.

So how much does a beast like this cost? The base model is $135,000 and customers have a long list of add-ons to choose from.

“You can completely change the interior and you can change the color, you have AC, heating, everything you can modify on the inside,” Supercar Blondie’s Sergi Galiano said during an exclusive tour of the ATV.

“And on the inside, as you can see there’s tons of space, you can get up to 12 people as passengers.

“This windscreen is huge. It’s actually strange to have this much visibility when you’re driving.”

In the place of side mirrors, the ATV has cameras and, surprisingly, it’s not complicated to drive.

“One of the main priorities for Atlas was making this as simple to drive as possible for the general public, so if you know how to drive manual… you can drive this car,” Galiano said.

Speaking of the driving experience, Galiano was taken on a joy ride in the ATV and called it “one of the wildest vehicles in the world”.

“That was the craziest thing I’ve experienced in a passenger seat,” he said.

Atlas started designing the ATV in 2019 and since then only 10 have been made.

What can the Atlas ATV be used for?

It was designed for emergency services, private collectors and fishermen.

“A lot of this would be used for rescue. Some people… want to do extreme fishing, this thing will put you on the water, get you different kinds of access to locations,” Galiano said.

Its rear-axel steering means the ATV can take those sharp turns.

And one of the add-on options is a stretcher to help emergency crews carry out rescues.

But whatever you’re using it for, it looks like an awesome ride.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

user

Louise Cheer oversees and writes stories about the latest headlines on topics such as automotive, technology, gaming, watches, movies and lifestyle. Louise has been a news editor at Yahoo and Daily Mail in Australia, with more than 10 years of experience in the media industry.