6×6 Is the New 4×4: This 6×6 Defender–Based Concept Is Seriously Bad-Ass

Concerned that the worldwide demand for outrageous fuel-swilling, six-wheeled, paramilitary off-road 6×6 SUVs couldn’t possibly be satiated alone by the now-ended production of the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 and exclusive variants like the Brabus B63S-700 6×6, British firm Kahn Design has entered the ring with a stretched, LS3-powered 6×6 version of the Land Rover Defender it has dubbed the Flying Huntsman.  

Although the Defender looks mighty bulky in standard form, fitment of the additional hardware required an increase to both length and girth. To squeeze the approximately 430-hp 6.2-liter LS3 GM V-8 under the hood, Kahn added just under 16 inches forward of the A-pillar. (Earlier in the year, the tuning firm applied the same powertrain and stretch to the three-door, four-wheel Defender, emerging with the aptly named Defender 105 Longnose.) The aesthetics are a bit questionable, but we feel the ends justify the means.

Making room for the additional rear axle required a stretch of 31.5 inches to the rear of the vehicle. Width is up by 5.9 inches, although Kahn doesn’t cite any specific mechanical reasons behind this increase; we posit that it’s simply to keep the proportions of the seriously long off-roader intact and to keep it from tipping over in a stiff breeze. The doors are said to have been widened a bit, and the rake of the windshield also has been increased. A full panoramic roof extends from the B-pillars back to keep the sun shining on even the blackest of ops.  

Gears are shuffled by a six-speed automatic ’box, torque running to all six-wheels via a “Hi-Lo” ratio-drive system—what we Yanks refer to as a transfer case—and a variety of locking differentials. The brakes and suspension system have been “upgraded,” which in the realm of high-dollar bespoke vehicles could mean just about anything from simple colored shocks to binders pilfered from an Airbus A380. Addressing the suspension and performance upgrades, Kahn says only, “This modern British icon would be equally comfortable outrunning any roadgoing SUV.”

As you might expect, armored variants equipped to B4, B6, B6+, and/or B7 ballistic-protection standards have been discussed, leading us to an obvious conclusion: How soon till the Kahn Design Flying Huntsman 110 WB 6×6 faces off against a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 in a Michael Bay project?

News Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/6x6-is-the-new-4x4-this-6x6-defender-based-concept-is-seriously-bad-ass/