Sherptacular

The Sherp N1200 takes offroad prowess to a whole new dimension with a more than simple mechanical approach. We get in the cockpit to find out just how good it is

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From the cockpit, a couple meters off the ground, I have a clear view of the obstacle ahead of us. It’s a 4 and a half foot-high wall, and yet for some reason, we aren’t slowing down. My brain is literally on fire trying to figure out the angular implications of this obstacle, 23 inches of ground clearance, massive ramp over angles, but calculations didn’t seem to have any impact on reality. This was a wall, surely we’d have to stop and go around. Yet Alexsi didn’t seem to be looking for an exit route, instead, his eyes remained locked on that impossible-to-climb wall. It was a familiar situation, proud off-road enthusiast overtly confident on the capabilities of their machine approaching impossible to conquer obstacles with a devil-may-care demeanour. Sure, there are times it’s worked and blown my mind, and there are other times that have taught me how to unbuckle yourself from a car that’s rubber side up without bonking your head on the roof. In the two-tonne 18-foot tall Sherp, I feared for the latter conclusion.