I’m an extremely professional car reviewer. My colleagues always say as much when they’re waiting for my overdue copy to be filed, or for me to arrive late to a photoshoot. Yup. There’s nothing I won’t drive and no job I won’t undertake.
But oh dear, today I almost wish there was. On my driveway is a car that makes the vehicle next to it – an Audi Q7 V12 – look discreet. It is a Mammoth Ram 1500 TRX, a pick-up modified by American tuner Hennessey. And right now, I’d rather it was a Hyundai i10.
I’ve never felt so conspicuous. Partly it’s the size – well over two metres wide and five metres long. Then it’s the hardware. In front, the TRX has a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine with – wait for it – 1012bhp. Hennessey claims it is the fastest and most powerful pick-up ever produced. It has 969lb-ft of torque and can go from 0-60mph in, it’s claimed, 3.2sec. It weighs 3538kg and I can’t think of a car that is as out of step with current automotive trends. Still, at least it’s a subtle colour, eh?
I’ve suggested we photograph it in Bristol, home to plenty of heavy dated ironwork itself: there are girder bridges and railways, and its bustling harbour area was a proud ship-building hub. It’s also a historic urban environment in which the TRX will look, well, simply as big as its size dictates it will look. I prepare my “it’s not mine” shtick for dubious onlookers and brace to get through the day.
Context is everything. John Hennessey has been “making fast cars faster since 1991” and has modified more than 10,000 cars or trucks in that time from Hennessey Performance’s base in Texas, where it has its own quarter-mile dragstrip and where, you’d imagine, Rams look less conspicuous.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 27, 2022 من Autocar UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 27, 2022 من Autocar UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
LAND ROVER DEFENDER
Our new 130-all 5358mm and £96,745 of it - has its first taste of life as a daily wagon
RENAULT CLIO
Trip down to Spa reveals its talents aren't diminished with another two men aboard
Make mine a slightly smaller one
The Little Car Company has hit new heights of scaled-down kerb appeal with its recreated
Loyal to the end
Old-school vehicle breakers' yards are rare these days, but a handful of marque specialists are soldiering on to provide a vital service. John Evans pays one a visit
THAT'S WHY WE GO TO ICELAND
Smooth, empty roads snaking through epic scenery are one reason. Experiencing erupting volcanos is another. Matt Prior goes in search of both in Kia's latest Sorento and finds 50mph ways to leave your lava
TESTED 27.4.24, DEVON ON SALE NOW - PORSCHE 718 SPYDER RS
Dream-like on German asphalt, does this curious Rennsport also excel in the UK?
TESTED 20.5.24, FRANKFURT, GERMANY ON SALE NOW - FORD TOURNEO CUSTOM
New Transit sprouts seats and windows, gets a PHEV system that works differently
TESTED 24.5.24, BERKSHIRE ON SALE NOW - MINI COUNTRYMAN SE
Flagship version of the larger and pricier third-generation SUV arrives in the UK
TESTED 29.5.24, BEDFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW - PORSCHE TAYCAN
Refreshed saloon targets class supremacy with electric powertrain updates
TESTED 23.5.24, BEDFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW PRICE £446,742 - LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO
We've sampled Sant'Agata's new-era, 1001bhp supercar on track. Now it's time to see how it fares on a decent B-road