OG

Say hello to the all-new Gurkha. Really. This is all new!

- SIRISH CHANDRAN

“INSPIRED BY THE G-WAGEN” Prasan Firodia is a straight-up guy. Far from being apologetic, the managing director of Force Motors takes pride in the fact that the Gurkha was inspired by the legendary Gelandewagen. And just like the G was originally designed and bought for military applications, so too the original Trax Gurkha was first shown in military fatigues; civilian versions arrived a good eight years later in 2015. Even today it remains popular with armies in Africa, Angola in particular primarily uses Gurkhas and have been pestering Force Motors for something more modern for their Generals and top brass. Indian Army approval came rather late, only in 2018, but in its most extreme Light Strike Vehicle avatar — shorn of doors, windows and a roof; equipped with a rocket launcher, machine guns and run-flats; a drop-down windscreen configured to fit into military transport planes and parachuted into forward positions (and even behind enemy lines) for fast, precision strikes. And this Army order was bagged in a global tender. When Force Motors calls the Gurkha an Extreme 4x4, it’s not without a back story, plus there’s the added legitimacy of the Rain Forest Challenge-winning monsters that were based on Gurkha aggregates.

And now there’s an all-new Gurkha.