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Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al-Nahyan, also known as the ‘Rainbow Sheikh’, due to the fact that he once bought a fleet of Mercedes every colour of the rainbow as a wedding present. Decided that he would like to celebrate the desert, by building a very special caravan. On this occasion the Rainbow Sheik chose to honor the pioneers of the oil boom – and show his passion for classic dune-bashing four wheel drives – by building the most incredible replica of a 1950s Dodge Power Wagon, only eight times the size of the real thing. Built over a period of months, the scale of the construction was limited only by the size of the wheels that the Sheik could get, which apparently were used on a machine for transporting oil rigs. The truck is built around a metal frame more reminiscent of static plant, rather than anything mobile. This is emphasized by a flight of stairs leading up to the ‘front door. The Truck houses just about everything needed for comfortable living, including four large, air condi

The smart forfun, a smart forfour with monster truck ambitions, caused quite a stir at the Athens Motor Show in November 2005. Following the extremely positive response to this, the decision to develop a further vehicle with a similar character was a logical step. Following the initiative of Mercedes-Benz Hellas, Stefan Attart (46), Greek Champion in 4×4 Rally Races had clear ideas: the new off-road vehicle should have the body of a smart fortwo. A suitable platform now had to be found. Awakening the inner child DaimlerChrysler has always had an unusually large range of off-road vehicles – from the M-Class to the G-model and the Unimog. One look at the smart forfun2 (pronounced smart for-fun to the second) and you see straightaway that it is based on a Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 series. This is what makes it so fascinating: the combination of two vehicles, each of which has achieved cult status in its respective segment. So it’s no wonder that the smart forfun2 awakens the inner child in

2001.5 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Sport V10, 8" dual rate coilover front suspension with long arms using King 2.5" remote reservoir shocks, and 7" dual rate coilover rear suspension with long arms using Prodigy 2.63" remote reservoir shocks, DOR adjustable track bar, DOR steering brace, Thuren steering, 41" Iroks on 17x9 wheels, Road Rhino winch bumpers front and rear with PIAA lights, SCT-tuned V10 with a Flowmaster Series 70 muffler, K&N FIPK cold air intake, Fastman 52mm throttle body, with Rockwell axles in the works.

6.Setting up for a dive on the clouds. A shot I got last year. Thought you would enjoy. 5.Walked my first highline today! Lovers’ Leap, Tahoe CA.   4.A typical after class adventure in the Adirondacks.  3.Middle of a crash at Pottendijk kart circuit in Holland   2.Snowmobile  in Revelstoke, BC, Canada 1. “Kings of the Off-road” quad bike amateur regional race in a Siberia  sourse:oddstuffmagazine.com

Judging from the series of releases at the Beijing Auto Show, China is far and away the most important market for global automakers. A trend first started by high-end luxury brands, Jeep is hopping on the bandwagon by introducing the Jeep Wrangler Dragon design concept, a China-market-exclusive vehicle that features a “dragon design” theme to commemorate the Chinese calendar’s Year of the Dragon. “The Jeep brand is committed to China and therefore we must design and tailor our vehicles to the specific tastes and preferences of chinese consumers,” said Jeep Brand CEO and COO for Asia, Mike Manley. Mechanically identical to a China-market Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, the Jeep Wrangler Dragon design concept features a gloss black paint scheme as well as a black body-color three-piece hard top. Trim pieces across the vehicle are plated in bronze-gold details including the grille slats, headlamp surrounds, golden accents on matte black wheels, as well as golden Jeep badging front and rear. R

It seems an odd way for buttoned-up Washington journalists to spend their weekends. But recently we’ve observed that both NBC “MTP” Host David Gregory and FNC anchor Bret Baier have enjoyed trips to weekend Monster truck shows. It’s fine if they go. To each his own and all that. But please, boys, don’t let this awful pastime end up on your respective shows. Last Saturday Gregory was spotted at the 2p.m. “Monster Jam truck rally.” Our tipster noted, “Not a joke.” For the record, it pains us to even run this photograph.

Recently, I finished my initial polished draft of The Monster Trucks of Mount MonstraCity, the second book in my planned Mount MonstraCity series for middle grades readers. This one, like the first (The Runaways of Mount MonstraCity), got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the big reader in our house, my nine-year-old, Levi, who acted as my initial reviewer. The first book features brother and sister Zacherly and Roxie Juke, two orphans who suffer bullying and frequent indignities at the Putterknuckle Benevolent Home for Orphaned Children in Seattle, Washington. They run away to Mount MonstraCity, located on Monstra Island, about seventy miles west-northwest of Seattle, Washington. Mount MonstraCity was founded early in the nineteenth century by members of the Frankenstein clan. Exiled from Europe, they established the new city as a haven for monsters of all types from every corner of the world. Zacherly and Roxie are lured to Mount MonstraCity by a mysterious stranger from the island, Osw