Mongo from Fast Five

[Brody]

So we just saw Fast Five and I did a "WTF??!!" when I saw the Mongo off road unit. I couldn't figure out what the hell it was, but was more than a little impressed with the way this rather ungainly thing took curves and jumps with ease especially when just sitting, it looks like it would tip over at any kind of speed. Best rig of the whole movie, I thought....I was also impressed with the lighting up of the big tires. Thing isn't a dog....And if you have ever ridden in either a MOG or Pinz, then you know the wildass view (and seat of the pants feel) when you are sitting close to the front of the rig over the front axle....

Here is a video I pulled off the internet with a commentary from the guy who built it:

http://www.insideline.com/features/driving-the-mongo-heist-truck-from-fast-five.html

[Heather]

That's impressive! I figured most of its capability came from the editing process. It was definitely super cool!!

[Brody]

A little more information:


The truck known as “Mongo” from Fast FiveThe first is a one-off, tube-frame monstrosity of an offroad car hauler lovingly dubbed “Mongo.” Mongo was designed to assist Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in filching exotic cars from a moving train. To our eyes, Mongo looks ready to do just that, sporting a 600-plus-horsepower 502-cubic-inch Chevrolet V8, 7:10 gears and 18 inches of suspension travel. According to McCarthy, Mongo did his own stunts, completing a 75-foot jump and driving away unscathed. Wow.

Mongo was built from scratch using an old Oshkosh HEMTT military cab the film crew was able to pickup at a Marine Corps surplus sale. The cab sits on a collection of steel tubing, which serves as its fundamental support and chassis. A cradle was built into the underside of the vehicle, from which all its suspension anchors to, including a set of box shocks. The engine of choice is a 502 cubic-inch, Chevrolet, Ram Jet, crate motor, offering upwards of 600 horsepower. Despite its 9,000 lb curb weight, the 7:10 final drive ensures it’s still fairly quick. Pay no mind to the wobbly left rear wheel in the video, this truck has probably had a pretty rough life.
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This is my kind of rig, wobbly wheel or not.

[mattzj98]

my favorite thing from the movie was the Knight XV.. that thing is a tank! :)

[glacierpaul]

SWEET!! I NEED one of those!!!