American motorsport outfit Scarbo Vintage has revealed the SV Rover - an outlandish off-road weapon that it claims to be "the world's first street-legal hypertruck".
Available with either a screaming supercharged V8 engine or a battery-electric powertrain, it's the third car from the California-based firm, following the SV F1, a tribute to the 1967 Ferrari 312 Formula 1 car, and the Porsche 911-derived SC RSR, which was the basis for Ken Block's 'Hoonipigasus' stunt car.
Said to be able to "comfortably tackle technical off-road trails and traverse desert terrain at extra-legal speeds", the SV Rover takes visual cues from the classic Land Rover Defender 90.
It has a body clad entirely in carbonfibre and aluminium, huge flared wheel arches, thick underbody protection, LED front and rear lights and a wheelbase significantly extended to accommodate a rear-mid-mounted engine.
Power comes from either a 1100bhp supercharged V8 with an eight-speed gearbox or a 1005bhp electric system – expected to comprise a motor on each axle – and a 75kWh battery.
Scarbo Performance CEO Joe Scarbo said: "The SV Rover represents a new extreme in terms of off-road power, manoeuverability and capability.
"We're thrilled to unveil this revolutionary vehicle, which combines the nostalgia of classic British design with modern American muscle and technology to deliver a driving experience beyond anything this side of a trophy truck."
The Rover is fitted with interchangeable two- and four-wheel drive, locking front and rear differentials and adjustable-height pushrod suspension that sits inboard and allows for a massive 30in of wheel travel.
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As someone already said, JLR owns the Rover name, but another car company using SV in a name might be okay.. SV used to be SVO iirc and Ford at one time also used that name. Lamborghini use SV on certain models and I'm sure many other manufacturers use SV in some fashion. Using ROVER though is almost certainly going to be a big No No!
I love the Wallace and Grommit face!:-)
This should keep the lawyers at Ford (owners of the Rover brand name and makers of the not dissimilar Bronco) and Tata/JLR (Defender, owners of Bowler, users of SV branding) busy...
Ford sold the Rover brand back to Land Rover when Tata took JLR over.