If you have an Erector Set laying around somewhere, congratulations! You’re properly equipped to make an accurate scale model of a new military vehicle concept, the Partisan One. The Partisan One is a rugged, wildly basic 4×4 that’s built from a simple frame of right angles and bolt-on parts. It’s supposed to be bomb-proof, and comes with a warranty that lasts a century. I kind of love the way it looks, too.
The Partisan One was designed by a Russian automotive engineer named Dr. Juri Postnikov, with the goal of making “the best car for the world’s worst roads” and designed to be easy to ship, assemble, and maintain in the usually very adverse conditions of war, a set of circumstances that has been described as “hell.”
The Partisan One’s recessed body panels are designed to accept armour plating, and locations for fitting V-shaped underbody armour to protect against land mines have been suggested as well.
The incredibly basic, even crude design is a deliberate choice to facilitate flat-packing and easy assembly and maintenance in the field, though it’s not doing any favours for fuel economy or speed.
The press release suggests that the flat-packing allows for a fivefold increase in the number of vehicles that can be shipped:
The car can be delivered to the destination in the form of lightweight assembly kits – one standard 6.10m sea container will hold 5 sets instead of one fully assembled car. This fivefold multiplication factor is extremely important, when conditions require instantaneous increase in the supply of equipment to the zone of its application.
The German company’s press release has some, um, novel wording that I’m hoping is the result of bad translation and not some doughnut fetish:
The presented car “PARTISAN ONE” stands out very strongly against the background of its licked and glazed brethren, and contrasts sharply with them not only with its large size and structure, but first of all with its square shapes, straight lines of body contours and deliberate primitivism of appearance, as if the absence of any design. But the lack of design is also a design! (emphasis mine)
The concept is currently powered by a Fiat 2.8-litre diesel making 148 horsepower, but Partisan Motors is very open regarding drivetrains for the Partisan One:
Organisation of the layout of the engine compartment and transmission tunnels implies the possibility of installing various power units and their layout solutions. The engine can be installed both along and across the body. The main driving bridge can be either front, with a viscous coupling connected, or a transfer box, rear, as well as vice versa. A permanent full drive of both bridges can also be realised.
The modern diesel engine, coupled with the fuel tanks of large capacity, provides a long range of about 1000 – 1500 km.
Partisan Motors is so confident in their potential ability to provide simple, rugged, heavily rust-proofed vehicles that they’re planning to offer a whole century’s worth of warranty. Again, from the press release:
Perhaps, for the most well-off customers, this car, due to its features of structure, design and technical qualities will be attractive, as for people who know how to understand the true values. This car can even be handed by inheritance, along with a collection of expensive hunting trunks. Moreover, we provide a 100-year warranty on the entire car in addition to its wearing parts.
I don’t know if I get the “collection of expensive hunting trunks” part. Are they providing those with the car? Is that some kind of rich-guy thing I don’t know about?
Partisan suggests the design can be varied to produce pickup trucks, long-wheelbase versions, double-cabs, 6×6 and even eight-wheel drive versions of the car, which makes sense, since the basic design is so modular.
I think it’s a pretty good idea, and I believe this sort of concept has the potential to be actually be very useful for a lot of applications, not just military.
Come on, at least try to photoshop that shit out
I think I’d feel better about Partisan’s chances with this thing, though, if they didn’t hold together their concept with little bungee cords. Though, to be fair, it looks like they’re just being used in place of door latches? Still, it’s your concept, guys, spend the extra $US40.
Partisan Motors has suggested the cost of the Partisan One would be about $US58,500 ($74,725), though it doesn’t seem like they’re anywhere close to being ready to take orders just yet.
So, if you’re planning on outfitting a private army, you’ll have to wait a bit or make do with your old Toyota pickups or whatever.