Let me ask you a question. Is your extreme daily the lowest on your block? Is it the fastest? The best looking? The most hardcore? Quite possibly. Is it immune from roadside bombs though? Can you safely drive over landmines and has it got bonkers ‘cage armour’ that will stop an RPG-toting adversary hell-bent on sending you to that big scrap yard in the sky? Unless you happen to be part of a Mastiff II Crew in the British Army, chances are that’s a no.
You see, you may be wondering what 1.5-million quid’s worth of six-wheel drive, 3.2m-high monster is doing on Fast Carbut the answer is simple: it’s probably the most extreme daily driver on the planet!
Every day, around 300 of these heavily armoured Protected Patrol Vehicles (PPVs) tool around various war zones carrying lads that, quite simply, are packing concrete testicles the size of small hatchbacks. These are the guys who fight for the freedoms we all take for granted, so it’s only right they’re equipped with the world’s ultimate piece of modified metal.
Oh yes my friends, you read that right; this chunk of kit is true modified metal. Based on the standard American Cougar 6×6, built by Force Protection in South Carolina, each one is unique, after being extensively fettled by NP Aerospace in Coventry. These masters of fabrication and fitting certainly add some gear too.
The cage armour, thermal imaging cameras, racecar- style fire extinguisher systems, a 7.2mm general- purpose machine gun and even the choice of a 12.7mm heavy machine gun or 40mm grenade launcher… Oh, and that’s just the one’s they told us about.
It’ll also hit 65mph which might not sound like a lot when you’re getting shot at, but remember that’s over – or through – pretty much anything in your way. The 360-litre armoured fuel tank gives a handy 800-miles between trips to the pumps and, while economy runs aren’t normally our concern, 10mpg for an 8-meter long, 24-tonne, 330bhp heavy-duty monster isn’t anything short of jaw-dropping.
Still, none of that is the most important. What makes the Mastiff a contender for the ultimate modified motor in the history of the universe isn’t its speed, or sweet styling, or the fact is has more weird and wonderful toys than Miss Ann Summers herself. No, it’s the simple fact that it’s the one motor guaranteed to stop any bullet, especially the one with your name on it!
BRITISH ARMY MASTIFF II TECH SPEC
TUNING
Caterpillar C-7 diesel; Allison 3500SP auto.
CHASSIS
Six-wheel drive; V-shaped hull, blast deflecting hull; mil-spec run flat tyres; custom automated suspension.
INTERIOR
Thermal imaging camera; optical camera; heads up lights-out driving display; 5.9 tonne payload; bomb disposal robot (optional).
EXTERIOR
8m long, 3.2m high, 3.2m wide; motorised gun turret; 360-litre fuel tank; bullet proof glass; RPG resistant cage armour; bodywork (.50-cal proof) armour and lots of it; mine plow (optional).
THANKS
The British Army, Force Protection, NP Aerospace (UK).
