Ineos shows off V8-swapped, lifted and race-ready Grenadiers at Goodwood
In addition to its first special edition, Ineos brought a bunch of custom projects from itself and partner companies to Goodwood. They range from modified production cars to some very special-purpose vehicles, including a safari truck and a race SUV. Not only that, but with the right pocket book and contacts, you might be able to get some of these companies to build something for you.
Lifting off-roaders is another pretty common modification, but German aftermarket company LeTech went to another level to do so. It took both a Grenadier Station Wagon and a Grenadier Quartermaster (pictured top), and fitted them with portal axles. If you're not familiar, portal axles feature gears on the ends of the straight axles to bring the hubs lower and add clearance. Through the combination of the trick axles and the larger tires, these Grenadiers gained 10.4 inches of ground clearance for a total of 20.2. According to Ineos, LeTech has already sold a couple similarly modified examples to a German fire department, so they might be able to do the same for you.
Also common are GM V8 swaps, but with how new the Grenadiers are, this is a more unique situation. This one was built by apprentices from Magna, the company that manufactures Grenadier trucks and SUVs for the brand. All the BMW powertrain bits were removed in favor of a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 from GM that makes 425 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque. That's an increase of more than 120 horsepower and nearly 130 pound-feet of torque over the standard gas six-cylinder. And of course, it also adds some nice V8 growl.
Next up, we'll look at the Grenadier Station Wagon from Buzz Special Vehicles. According to Ineos, this is the first Grenadier customized to be legal for FIA competition. Buzz built it specifically for next year's World Rally Raid Championship. This includes upgraded suspension and brakes, plus more power from the BMW straight-six. It now makes 349 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. The interior is stripped bare and now features racing bucket seats, a roll cage and carbon fiber interior panels. Presumably if you're interested in getting a competition-ready Grenadier, Buzz could probably help you out.
Another significantly modified machine is an in-house creation. It's called the "Shortermaster" because it's a short pickup truck. Ironically, it's not based on the actual Quartermaster pickup, but rather the Station Wagon SUV. Ineos moved the rear seats slightly forward, and cut open the rear section to create a very short truck bed. So depending on how you look at it, it's either a more off-roadable truck, or less practical truck. It's definitely interesting, though. But we have a suggestion for next year, Ineos: What about turning the Station Wagon into a regular cab truck with a longer bed? You can have that for free.
Our final Grenadier comes from Kavango Engineering, which is now part of Ineos. The company builds specialty vehicles for safari and conservation efforts. They've taken a Quartermaster pickup, and converted it to safari duty. It now has three rows of stadium seating to give riders the best possible views of wildlife. It also gets various bits of body protection.
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