Shalom – I agree, riding in a Pinz is quite a different perspective. I wouldn’t want to take it in the rocks either as the lack of flex makes it very easy for the Pinz to get a wheel off the ground. It is just not good for that.
However, I think it would make for a somewhat nice expedition type vehicle. It’ll go just about anywhere, it will tow just about anything, and outfitted the right way, it can give you some creature comforts. It is also very reliable and has outstanding gas mileage. As I said, the downside is that they are fairly slow, they are not that comfortable in stock form, and they are loud since you are sitting on top of the engine. If I didn’t drive my Jeep everywhere I go, I would have considered one of these to tow it. Here are some pics of some modified Pinz:
Sergey – I am not familiar with the latest Dakar rules, but all these trucks started life as factory trucks to a certain extent. You can easily get a MAN, DAF, Tatra, Volvo, etc… and then modify it accordingly. Jan de Rooy is a legend when it comes to the Dakar Rallye in big trucks and he used to run it with a DAF which had two engines, each good enough for 500 hp. I remember watching him on TV hauling through the desert at around 200 km/h, just plain awesome. Nowadays, some of these puppies (including de Rooy's new DAF) run direct injection 12.6L turbo charged in-line 6 developing 800hp, not too shabby either. I can see a WRC car do this easily, but a 10-ton truck
Here are some more pics:
