Conversion by German firm Letech promises genuine go-anywhere capability
Ineos will sell the extreme portal-axled version of the Grenadier 4×4 shown at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, with prices starting at €170,000 (£147,000).
Called the Grenadier Trialmaster X Letech, it can be had as both an SUV and a pick-up, with a choice of BMW-supplied 3.0-litre straight sixes powered by petrol or diesel.
Built by German firm Letech, it replaces the regular Grenadier’s coil suspension with a new portal-axle design with five reinforced links at its front and rear ends, and offset wheel hubs. Combined with a set of 18in Hutchinson Industries beadlock wheels and 37in BFGoodrich tyres, this raises the Grenadier’s ground clearance by 186mm to 450mm and its wading depth rises to 1050mm.
The new axles are also said to provide greater wheel articulation and better weight distribution, further improving the 4×4’s off-road capabilities.
Completing the package are flared wheel arches, a ladder with a jerry can mount, spotlights, a spare wheel carrier and a front winch capable of lugging 4.5 tonnes.
The conversion will be offered first in European Union and European Economic Area (EEA) markets. Ineos has yet to confirm whether it will be launched in the UK, saying only that a wider roll-out is “subject to future announcements”.
It added that it has received more than 1000 expressions of interest from customers, such as from rescue services.
The decision to offer the portal-axle conversion officially confirms Autocar’s previous report that it was being considered alongside a range of other special editions, in a bid to maximise the brand’s revenues from relatively few sales.
“The main feedback from dealers is that the Grenadier is too cheap. It needs to be more expensive for the amount of car you get,” George Ratcliffe, then commercial director of Ineos, told Autocar last year. “They want to sell it for more.”
Source: Autocar
