Packed and shipped like furniture, this truck can be built in 12 hours
The brainchild of a philanthropist and a former race car designer, the OX claims to be the world’s first ‘flat-pack’ truck.
Designed for the developing world, the all-terrain prototype vehicle was made to be simple to ship and assemble, and cost effective.
The vision of Sir Torquil Norman, the truck’s origins began five years ago with creation of the Global Vehicle Trust (GVT).
After founding the trust, Norman sought out automotive designer Gordon Murray with a brief to create a lightweight truck that would tackle the challenges faced by those in remote parts of Africa.
To accommodate the movement of people, drinking water, grain, and building materials, the vehicle needed high ground clearance, excellent approach and departure angles, large wheel movement, a multi-purpose layout and a three-person cab.
The result is the OX, a truck capable of carrying 13 people, eight 44-gallon drums or three Euro-pallets.
Able to be put together by three people in 12 hours, the 1,600kg OX is powered by a 2.2-litre 16v diesel engine that offers 99hp at 3.500rpm and 310Nm of torque at 2,100rpm.
Measuring 4.2m x 2m x 2.3m, the truck has a 1,900kg payload, 2.56m wheelbase, 5-speed manual transmission, 80-litre fuel tank, 16-inch tyres, and a load volume of 7m3.
The two-wheel drive vehicle’s cabin has been laid out with a central driving position, to cover right-hand and left-hand driving laws, and a three-person bench has been fitted.
To bolster its all-terrain tag, part of the truck’s rear bench seats double as ‘sand ladders’ to traverse soft ground. The tailgate also doubles as a loading ramp.
Built in the UK, the truck can be packed into a box by three people in under six hours and shipped six at a time in a 40-foot high-cube container.
In order to tick all the boxes, Murray says the five-year design journey was “undoubtedly one of the most interesting and challenging I have undertaken during my 45 years of car design, including my years in F1.”
“The added challenge of a flat-packed vehicle design over the already tough targets for cost, durability and weight saving made for a fascinating and stimulating journey from concept to prototype.”
For Norman, it is the creation of a dream.
“It is now a realistic prospect for production with working prototypes that have completed a comprehensive testing programme,” he says.
“Feedback we have had so far from contacts in Africa and with aid agencies has been very positive.
“We believe that the OX has huge potential for charities, aid organisations and development programmes.”
“My dream is to one day see an OX in every village in Africa.”