Avtoros Shaman Is A $150,000 Camper Tank Hybrid
Few vehicles on earth will be capable of saving humankind when the zombies finally arrive, but the Avtoros Shaman may prove to be our salvation. Here at Van Clan, we love the wild, the wacky, and the downright outrageous. We’re firm advocates of the following phrases; ‘bigger is better’, ‘live-hard, die-hard’ and ‘magic is might (we might have borrowed that last one from J.K Rowling, but I doubt she reads these blogs, so let’s carry on). If off road trucks get your blood pumping and the idea of an off grid adventure sends your excitement levels into free-fall, then you’ve certainly come to the right place!
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Small travel trailers will always be great and we really enjoy looking at the homemade campervan conversions that you send to us on our Van Life Instagram account, but monster camper van models and gargantuan off road bus conversions will always grab our attention. Are they the most practical vehicles out there? Probably not, unless you have to navigate a deep trench or traverse a mountain to get to your local shop. Not only is the Avtoros Shaman a vehicle that could almost certainly withstand an apocalypse, but there’s also plenty of room to throw your shopping bags inside when you take a trip to pick up your groceries. And the best thing is, you don’t need to worry about finding a parking space when your vehicle is big enough to crush all the cars in the lot!
Meet The Avtoros Shaman – It Really Is A Camper!
Imagine the Tesla Truck Camper had a love child with the Flying Huntsman Pick Up. Then imagine that love child was pumped full of steroids and bitten by a radioactive 8-wheeled spider. That’s the best way I can describe the Avtoros Shaman, and I think you’ll all agree I did a pretty good job, right? First impressions count for a lot when we come across a new vehicle and this thing certainly falls into the category of ‘spectacular’. It’s one of the only vehicles that we could link with the true definition of awesome; the design, power, and statistics of the Shaman truly do inspire awe, and we’ve got all of the details on this gnarly behemoth for you to revel in right here.
For a brief moment in time, the Mercedes-AMG G63 6×6 seemed as though it was going to top the table as the most powerful off road vehicle on the planet. But much like Elon Musk’s mishap with a rock and his Cybertruck window at the Tesla grand unveiling event, a bank of snow proved to be the G63’s downfall. How do you solve this problem, I hear you ask? Another axle and a suspension package that could give the Golden Gate Bridge a run for its money should do the trick!
Let’s talk quickly about the exterior before we move onto the inside of the article. Those 8 impressive wheels that you can see each have low-pressure tires that can make mincemeat of boggy marshes, the icy tundra, deep rivers, shallow streams and lakes, and much more. Basically, if it’s not flat or solid, it’s not a problem. You can steer using either the back, front, or side wheels, giving you complete handling control no matter what scenario you find yourself in.
The camper can be accessed by a door at the back or the side, with pull-out steps providing a much-needed lift up into the interior living quarters. There’s a roof rack for exterior storage or even a rooftop tent if you need more sleeping space for your friends and family.
You might have noticed that I said the Avtoros Shaman can cope with deep rivers; just take a look at the picture above for proof! You can turn this alternative living tank into an amphibious water-dwelling shark truck by equipping it with a screw-propellor, giving the Shaman a naval speed of up to 4.3mph. As well as being tough enough to withstand a Hulk Smash, the hermetic boat-formed frame houses some nifty little pumps that can pump up to 200 litres per minute, keeping the water away from the innards of your vehicle and propelling you along towards the perfect park up spot of your dreams. Could this be the best amphibious camper of our generation?
How Powerful Is This Thing?
This might not be much of a surprise, but the Avtoros Shaman isn’t going to be hurtling down a highway near you at 100mph. This thing is a BEAST and its top speed reflects that fact. The fastest that you’ll be able to travel is 44 miles an hour, so while you’re going to be able to climb mountains or trundle over small continents with ease, you’re not going to be doing it in a hurry. I know you’re probably also expecting a nuclear fusion reactor underneath the bonnet or some of the beefiest Guinea Pigs that the world has ever seen hooked up to a myriad of pulleys and levers, but what you’ll actually find is a 170-horsepower diesel engine making the magic happen.
With great power comes great responsibility…and terrible fuel consumption. You’ll get around 11 miles to the gallon if the wind is pointing the right way and the gods are smiling down on you. Compare that to the 39.2 gallons that you can get out of a regular-sized camper like a VW California Camper and you start to realise that the Avtoros Shaman might not be a good choice for people who don’t like spending money and who don’t like travelling at snail pace speeds. The fuel tank itself is quite large, however. You can fill up with 68.7 gallons at a time, which should give you around 755 miles on a full tank. Maybe they’ll make an electric version that gives you a similar distance on one mammoth charge; that would have to be one colossal battery!
What’s Inside?
The inside of the camper looks a little spartan, but this style of adventure vehicle is never going to be a country log-cabin-style tiny home on wheels. The seating arrangement can be changed depending on how many passengers you are carrying and your individual needs. You can go for a 1-2 formation like the picture above and the same set-up as the Neuron EV Electric Truck, or you can add extra seats in for when Nan and Grandad want to come along for the ride. There’s a ladder that you can use to access the top of the vehicle for death-defying stunts or just for reaching the roof rack, and a fold-out table provides the perfect place to play games or eat war rations as a family.
You won’t find any king-size beds or sleeping arrangements for seven people like in this best family camper, but what you will find is fold down benches that you can lay sleeping bags on and a carpeted floor that you can bed down on with your favourite comforter. As well as the plush leather chairs, comfort is also provided in the form of an air conditioning unit that can either keep you cool or toasty depending on the weather outside. The Shaman is truly an all-weather, all-seasons vehicle that knows no bounds.
The cockpit of the Shaman looks a little bit like a prop from the Death Star with its banks of coloured buttons, dials, and lights. I especially like the radio-receiver in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture above – maybe the police should start using these vehicles from now on! The Shaman comes with intuitive transmission and utility controls, and the captain’s chair can be adjusted in three different ways to provide you with the best driving experience possible while cruising down those deserted highways!
Final Thoughts…
The Avtoros Shaman is an absurdly large vehicle that would be a terrible choice of camper for most people. It’s not exactly family-friendly and won’t impress the neighbours on your suburban street when you accidentally reverse into the communal flower patch as you try to park on your drive. If you’re looking for a romantic tiny house like the Carado Axion, then this vehicle also isn’t for you. If, however, you like your travels with a dose of danger on the side and think there might be a chance that you might need to head into a war zone to extract a small village and drive them to safety, then the Shaman will be right up your street.
In all seriousness, this off road truck is an impressive feat of engineering and would help people who live in incredibly remote areas to both maintain communication with and access the outside world. It’s a great choice of vehicle for anyone working with teams of people out ‘in the field’ and the perfect truck for traversing routes that have disappeared due to natural disasters such as flooding or earthquakes. Personally, I think I will stick to the winding Ligurian mountain hills and Italian beach-front park ups; I’m not a dangerous kind of guy!
Now for the price. At $200’000, the Shaman isn’t a vehicle that you could just buy on a whim. It’s twice as much as some of the all-terrain souped-up Outside Van Campers that we’ve covered over the past few years and far more impractical if you live on a terraced street in the middle of Camden. If you live in a forest or have a castle with hundreds of acres of land, then this could be a great toy to play with on the weekends, and as I mentioned earlier, this could be a revolutionary bit of kit if you live in a cabin in Alaska 100-miles from the nearest road. Head to the Avtoros website for more information and to make a purchase!
More Content From The Van Clan Team!
- These Van Life Gifts will put a smile on any vandwellers face!
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