In 1947, Willys-Overland built a four-wheel-drive Jeep Truck that looked, shall we say, tough.
Last year, Hauk Designs started a rebuild on a ‘47 Willys that looks, shall we say, tough enough to send the original crying home to mama with its tail between its wheels.
Christened the Rock Rat, Hauk’s redesign — conceived with an assist from River Raider — has a 12-valve Cummins turbo diesel that was pilfered from a school bus under its extended hood. It can produce about 700 HP and 1,400 pound-feet of torque. Just because it’s strong doesn’t mean it isn’t smooth, though: the Rock Rat rides on 44-inch Pit Bull tires atop a quartet of B.A.D Beadlock wheels and the suspension features 14-inch air shocks.
With a maple wood interior that features Mad Max-style touches like a a shifter made from a 1960s fire truck pump handle, a rotary telephone mounted to the center console and a steering wheel with an actual skull in the center, the Rock Rat is ready to go off-roading before, during and after the apocalypse.
Come to Papa.
Images courtesy of Jérôme André via Hauk
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