Unique, Cool Wheels: The Terradyne Ghurka

No, it's not a dinosaur. Though it can be as formidable and intimidating if you take one hard  look at it.

Meet the Terradyne Ghurka. This is the go-to-car for any event where your life is at stake, and/or you need to amp up your safety and security to the maximum level.  It's our most cherished recommendation in the event of a zombie apocalypse, a military takeover, an undercover rescue mission, or a first time visit to your in-laws. The result's the same: Great protection.

Ghurka, which is a name that pays homage to the Nepalese units who served in the Imperial British Army, is made by Terradyne Armored Vehicles. The company only sells this model, although with four different styles you can choose from:

• Light armored patrol vehicle (LAPV)
• Multi-purpose patrol (MPV)
• Rapid patrol vehicle (RPV)
• Rapid Patrol Civilian Edition

Specifications

This six-speed automatic, four-wheel drive actually uses the chassis of a Ford F-550--Ford's heavy duty truck. Its armor-tank body measures at around 220 inches (length), 85 inches (width), and 98 inches (height). It uses a 6.7-liter turbodiesel V8 engine under its hood, which can churn around 300 hp and over 1,000 Nm of torque. Its speed is at around 128 kph.

The Canadian-made armored vehicle can seat 12 passengers inside very comfortably, and there is a lot of space for fuel--40 gallons--to help avoid frequent fuel stops.

Features

So what are its features? Pretty much anything that will protect you from your enemies. You can go for a B4-level ballistic protection that can stop bullets from shotguns and handguns; military-customized Continental tires; complete emergency medical facilities; high-grade, classified weapons, and many more. It can serve you anything, as long as you belong in one or more of these categories:

• Border patrol/law enforcement/government agencies/private security/tactical medic vehicle
• Law enforcement and related government agencies only. SWAT/SRT/ETF/ERT/rescue vehicle
• Critical infrastructure protection/law enforcement/government agencies/military/border patrol
• Company PR vehicle/daily driver/rolling panic room/executive protection/offroad vehicle/hobby vehicle

Now here's a trivia for you. The Ghurka appeared in the 2011 film "Fast Five." It was also seen as a getaway vehicle in the Monte Carlo chase in the 2012 animation movie "Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted."

Still, don't delude yourself into thinking that it earned its way there for its beefy, good looks. No, it's just the icing on the cake, here. This vehicle, before anything else, is built for effective, critical infrastructure protection. It means business all the way. This makes it one serious vehicle we'd like to have for ourselves--if we have around PHP11.5 million lying somewhere in our bunker.