Jay Leno Hops Into a 6×6 Jeep Gladiator Built for the Apocalypse
Are you wealthy and/or paranoid about the end of the world? Good news, there’s no shortage of armored pseudo-tanks ready to ferry you around. Many of these are built on conventional trucks, and the Jeep Gladiator is a popular base. And some of the most extreme Gladiator builds, like the Rezvani Hercules 6×6, have extra axles in their apocalypse-ready recipes. Recently, Jay Leno sampled one of those recipes: the 2021 Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6.
The 2021 Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6 is a Jeep Gladiator prepped for doomsday
First, a point of clarification. A Florida-based dealer called So Flo Jeeps offers a six-wheeled Gladiator called the Apocalypse. That’s technically the ‘base’ form of the Hellfire 6×6 that Apocalypse Manufacturing makes.
If you’re a fan of six-wheeled trucks, that name might be familiar. That’s because Apocalypse Manufacturing is the company behind the Warlord, the Ram 1500 TRX 6×6. On a basic level, the Hellfire 6×6 is like the Jeep Gladiator version of that truck. But that description almost sells it short.
To turn a 2021 Jeep Gladiator into a Hellfire 6×6, Apocalypse Manufacturing strips the truck down completely, TFLOffRoad says. The company then fabricates a new chassis and extends the bed up to eight feet, DrivingLine reports. It also installs Teraflex suspension with Falcon shocks, 22” Fuel SFJ wheels with 40” Nitto Mud Grappler tires, a roll-down locking metal enclosure, and a three-part Kevlar coating. It’s not technically bulletproof, but the windows are made of ballistic glass. And despite the Kevlar, the roof and doors are still removable, MotorTrend notes.
As standard, the Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6 comes with a 500-hp 6.2-liter Corvette V8 linked to an eight-speed automatic. However, the Jeep Gladiator’s 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 is available, too. And if you want to blitz past Wrangler 392s, the Hellfire 6×6 also offers the 707-hp 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8.
In addition to the extra axle, powertrain mods, and suspension upgrades, the Hellfire 6×6 also has interior upgrades. Besides the standard 2021 Gladiator features, it also has hand-stitched marine-grade leather seats, a 360° full-time camera, and custom audio options. Speaking of options, Apocalypse offers extras such as custom steel bumpers with a 9,500-lb front winch and 12,000-lb rear hitch, color-changing LED headlights, infrared night vision, and a 20” LED light bar.
What does Jay Leno think about this six-wheeled truck?
Jay Leno has some experience with tank-like vehicles, what with owning a Ferret armored car. Driving the Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6, though, is just a bit different. Mostly because it’s rather wide. How wide? Wide enough that Apocalypse Manufacturing owner Joseph Ghattas has been stopped by cops claiming that he needs a CDL license to drive the modified Gladiator.
And this is “a big truck,” Jay Leno says with a chuckle. It’s not a terribly tall one, though. Despite the 40” wheels, the Hellfire 6×6 only has a 3.5” lift over the 2021 Jeep Gladiator. But the upgraded suspension gives it 8” of upwards travel and 13” of downwards travel. What really strikes Leno is the Hellfire 6×6’s width. “’Can I fit in that space?’ You’re just doing that all the time,” he says in the video.
However, once you get past its width, it’s clear that the Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6 is an intriguing truck. It rides comfortably in town, and all the interior materials feel solid and well-made, Leno reports. “It feels like a factory vehicle,” he notes. And it doesn’t feel all that unwieldy behind the wheel. But it does make you feel “like Tony Montana pulling up to the disco.”
How much does an Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6 cost?
Turning a 2021 Jeep Gladiator into an Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6 isn’t a cheap process. The ‘standard’ version starts at $150,000 before options. That being said, the Rezvani Hercules 6×6 starts at $225,000—and that’s before adding any bulletproof armor.
And for some, being able to drive through a hellscape, or at least looking the part, is worth every penny.
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