Romania has a car industry? No, but it does make the humongous Ghe-O Rescue truck

By Peter Braun October 15, 2013

It’s a Jeep; it’s an H1; it’s a Tank! No, it’s a mad Romanian truck and – it’s here to help.

Built in the former Soviet block, the Ghe-O Rescue is one of the craziest – and most awesome – things on four wheels.

At 17 feet long and nearly nine wide, this thing is a monster that can cross rivers, blast through snow, and generally just straight up curb stomp the worst Mother Nature has to offer. Despite being the rough dimensions of a cross-country freight train, the Rescue weighs in at just 6,400 pounds.

I know that sounds like a lot, but my editor, Nick Jaynes, owns a Land Cruiser that weighs 6,500 pounds – and it’s not even an all-terrain rescue vehicle. Listen closely and you might just hear the sound of Nick crying over a heap of gas receipts.

Speaking of fuel economy, I am guessing the Rescue doesn’t have much to crow over in that department. The customer can specify any number of engines: from a 500-horsepower gas motor to a 304-horsepower diesel. As you would expect in a purpose built off roader, you can also get the engines water-proofed.

In most cars, accessories are things like doormats or maybe a roof rack. In the Rescue, things are a bit more butch. How about some tank treads for when things get extra slippery? Or what about some balloon tire add-ons so that this behemoth will crash gracefully over the top of the snow? Ghe-O has you covered.

And just to keep things interesting Ghe-O says it can make the powerplant resistant to electromagnetic pulses – you know – what comes out of atomic bombs.

So why has Ghe-O built such a mad truck? Probably because Ceausescu’s communist regime forgot to build any roads in most of Romania before they left. To be fair, they were focused on building the biggest palace in the western world – you know, for the people. These funding priorities mean the largely rural country needs emergency vehicles that can make it through snow, rivers, mudslides, and vampire-infested mountains.

It’s a shame that such vehicles are necessary, but I for one am glad to know that they exist. It may even be taking over top spot on my list of vehicles to have during a zombie apocalypse.

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Peter is a freelance contributor to Digital Trends and almost a lawyer. He has loved thinking, writing and talking about cars…

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