The Most Russian Vehicle Ever Built

Russia, home of vodka, bears and the machismo necessary to tame them both. It’s the world’s largest country and boasts some of the most rip-your-car-apart-then-freeze-it-to-death terrain on the planet.

Covering all this geography, especially in a manner befitting an oligarch, needs something unique and with character, so they got stuck into creating the biggest, most macho off roader created yet, the Avtoros Shaman.

As with most things in Russia, overkill is the order of the day. Mercedez thought they had the top trump when they released their luxury 6×6 – the G63 – but given the Bavarians’ less than fortunate outings into the Soviet’s vast tundra, the Russians need a homegrown solution. Something so big and so over the top that it easily knocks the axle off any who dare challenge it.

Designed with a uniquely Russian flair and practicality, the 8×8 behemoth is custom made for each client and takes up to two months to complete. Needless to say, this makes them quite expensive, even by the eccentric standards of the Russian elite.

Not your average Sunday driver, it has so many wheels it needs three different steering systems. You can switch between on-road, off-road, and what Avtoros calls ‘Crab Mode’, where all eight wheels kick into gear and you start rolling over whatever gets in your way, thus allowing the rig to move sideways in particularly tricky situations

Of course, owning a vehicle that is more closely related to a tank is handy when you’re privatising national industries to fund your road trips. Not only will it easily handle the worst snow and muddy conditions and can float if caught in a flood, it can easily escape up a 45 degree incline, which, given its size and 2.5 ton dry mass is no mean feat.

The rest of the brochure reads as follows: You can haul up to 1.5 tons of cargo with its Iveco F1C3.0 turbo diesel engine, which manages 146 Hp and it seats seven including the driver.

Top speed is an industrious 80km/h, which is just fast enough for you to enjoy all the scenery you’re crushing.

The cockpit resembles a command post and has all the vehicle’s operating info displayed on it. Everything is tempered to withstand sub zero temperatures and anything else the universe could dare throw at it.