My two-year-old son has this toy: an off-roading school bus with a lifted suspension and enormous off-roading tires. The notion seemed crazy to me…but it turns out something like that vehicle very much exists in reality.
Czech manufacturer Torsus has built the Praetorian, a four-wheel-drive off-roading bus built to conquer “any terrain, in any conditions, anywhere in the world.” You don’t have to take their word for its impressive nature; in fact, the vehicle just won a Red Dot Design award for 2020.
Torsen based the Praetorian on a MAN Heavy Duty TGM truck chassis. It’s powered by a 6.9-liter diesel engine producing 240 horsepower and 629 lb-ft of torque. It’s very much ready for overlanding activity, with 15.7 inches of ground clearance and a 66-gallon fuel tank. The interior can accommodate up to 35 passengers with three-point seatbelts and their gear — though presumably, you’d strip all that out to create a living area if you were building your dream off-road RV. (We’ll also presume the setup will be a bit more dependable than the actual Praetorians were.)
Copyright Peter Brichta Photography 2019 :: www.pbphoto.sk ::According to Slash Gear, the price tag for a Torsus Praetorian starts around $154,000. Considering a tricked-out overlanding van can cost nearly that much, that may not be such a bad deal.
