Sealy, Texas - Mercedes-AMG started it with the G63 6x6, Hennessey added a Texas flavour with its Ford-based VelociRaptor 6x6, but now John Hennessey has taken six wheeled off-roaders to a whole new level with the aptly-named Goliath 6x6.
It’s based on the range-topping Trail Boss version of Chevrolet’s new Silverado bakkie, with its chassis extended to accommodate a second rear axle, a custom-made load bed, special bumpers, a roll bar and LED auxiliary lights. And then it gets gnarly with a 200mm lift kit, all-new rear suspension and Hennessey 20 inch rims shod with 37 inch BF Goodrich off-road rubber.
But that’s just the beginning - Hennessey is all about making fast cars faster, so the standard 6.2-litre Chevy V8 gets the HPE700 treatment - a 2.9 litre supercharger and a custom stainless-steel exhaust system, boosting its output from the standard 313kW and 519Nm to a quoted 525kW at 6200 revs and 914Nm at 4200rpm. Even with the extra weight of the six-wheel conversion, Hennessey reckons it’ll hit 100km/h off a standing start in around 4.5 seconds.
And if that’s not enough, there will be an optional 602kW long-stroke upgrade, as well as a Brembo brake upgrade kit and a ‘custom interior upgrade’; given that the Goliath is made in Texas, what that means is anybody’s guess.
Hennessey plans to build just 24 of these monsters, at a base price of $375 000 (R5.36 million) each, which does, however, include the Silverado bakkie on which it's based.