Brother, this actually started off as a pipe-dream. I had thrown out the idea of building a Toyota-Unimog hybrid, whilst going through one of the threads on here (Suhaib Kiani's Concordia rebuild). There was a lot of encouragement that I got from some old and new friends on here, which is what prompted me to embark upon this ambitious (and dare I say, foolhardy) project.
What am I going to make out of it? Let me attempt to reply.
I am going to (try to) make this an absolutely beautiful machine. Something that is exquisite to look at. Which incorporates all modern creature comforts. Which is a pleasure to be seated in. Something that is strikingly gorgeous. A one-off wonder of the automotive art.
At the same time, I want it to be a bad-to-the-bone off-roader. In the truest sense of the word. Something that is supremely capable at taking on the rigors that Mother Nature can throw in its way. I want it to be used for mud-racing. Desert-duelling. Mountain-climbing. Rock-crawling. And I want it to be able to handle all of those situations, with aplomb and gusto.
Our Ustaads (I ALWAYS use that word for them, because of their abundance of talent) are the most capable builders / fabricators / manufacturers in the World. Bar none. Inclusive everyone. This is also a showcase for their talent. For how they can take a chassis, and a bunch of individual parts, and create sheer poetry in motion. During this rebuild, I'm going to challenge their talents...impose a great deal of stress upon their thought processes...make them think up solutions that may, or may not have occurred to them, before.
And lastly...WHY am I doing all of this?
Because it's just SO much FUN!
Cheers.
Fouad.