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Automotive

Rescue off-roader floats over water and snow to save lives

By C.C. Weiss
October 16, 2013
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View 18 Images
The Rescue makes easy work of deep, sticky mud
The Ghe-O Rescue makes a Hummer look rather small and weak
Friendly competition: The Rescue tows a Land Rover out of the snow
The Rescue has locking axles
The Rescue is designed to go where other vehicles stop
A set of burley rear tracks assist in snow navigation
The Ghe-O Rescue shows off its towing chops
Steep angles and water crossings are nothing for the Ghe-O Rescue
The available pneumatic wheel pillows allow the Rescue to float and swim through the water
The available pneumatic wheel pillows allow the Rescue to float and swim through the water
The Rescue comes powered by a diesel or gas engine
The Rescue makes easy work of deep, sticky mud
The Rescue grips and powers its way back to land
The Ghe-O makes its way through the river
The Ghe-O Rescue in action
Ghe-O introduced the Rescue at the Bucharest auto show
Neither rain, snow, mud, water, rock ...
Available accessories include the tire pillows and plow system
Ghe-O also makes off-road motorsport cars like the Predator
View gallery - 18 images

For rescue outfits that think the ARGO 8x8 XTI is a little too small and weak, the massive, Earth-roaming Rescue from Romanian off-road manufacturer Ghe-O Motors should provide an attractive alternative. This fearless vessel carries up to 11 people through mud, snow, water and anything that's in their way.

The Rescue, which Ghe-O introduced at this week's Bucharest auto show, is designed to support rescue, fire, military and medical operations in all types of terrain and weather conditions. To get down to that business, it uses a rugged, massive jeep-like cabin built around a large, rumbling engine and heavy-duty transmission with lockable axles. Gas engines are available in the 340- to 500-bhp range and diesels in the 218- to 304-bhp range.

Ghe-O also makes off-road motorsport cars like the Predator

Ghe-O has experience building off-road race cars and it has used this experience in developing the Rescue. Despite being longer, wider and taller than a Hummer H1 (5.2 x 2.7 x 2.4 m/205 x 106 x 94.5 in), and weighing 3.2 t, Ghe-O says that the Rescue has a presence comparable to a much smaller off-road racer. It goes so far as to opine that the vehicle could outperform a small, two-seat off-road car in many off-road situations, 11 people and all. We'd have to see that to believe it.

The Rescue can be equipped with numerous job-specific accessories. The most interesting accessory is the set of pneumatic wheel pillows that enable the vessel to float through water and snow. Other accessories include rear tracks, a firefighting water tank and pump system, and a plow. For military usage, the engine can be fortified with extra electromagnetic and water protection.

Available accessories include the tire pillows and plow system

Ghe-O doesn't list pricing information, leaving it to the expected "for more info please contact us." We're guessing most readers will be satisfied with seeing the Rescue in action, which you can do below. Not only does it conquer water, mud and snow, it pulls both a Land Rover and Hummer out of trouble. Those that like crazy, extreme terrain machines should browse through Ghe-O Motors' YouTube channel as it has plenty of other impressive shorts.

Source: Ghe-O Motors, Balkans.com via AutoBlog

View gallery - 18 images

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AutomotiveDieselOff-roadRescueGhe-O
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C.C. Weiss
Chris joined the New Atlas team in 2011 and now serves as the automotive and campers editor, traveling extensively to gather the latest news on cars, outdoor sports gear and other innovations designed to help people experience and enjoy the greater world around them.
7 comments
Grunt
Handy bit of kit, but I can see those floatation tyres causing a few problems when operating in water that isn't quite deep enough for the vehicle to float, but deep enough for the tyres to give it sufficient buoyancy to reduce the tyres' ground pressure and, consequently, their tractive effort. I notice the video carefully avoided that scenario. Nevertheless, an interesting machine, though, once it does get stuck, you'll probably need two more to recover it. However, that can be a problem with any big capable heavyweight off-roader.
Mirmillion
Quite nicely set up and fairly floaty with those extra large volume tires. Forget the water wings as they are poorly designed and were already out of round in the video, in addition to being useless in any kind of current (better to have an inflatable bladder system on four sides as well as tires that, when pressure is adjusted, push out sand-dune-like scoops) . Otherwise it won't have enough velocity and directional control to avoid being swept down even the slowest river. That notwithstanding, it's obviously a more capable big off-roader than anything we have seen to date. I'd love to see the look on the face of our local H1 snob as this thing pulls up beside him. Will the real Arnold Schwarzenegger please stand up.
Denis Klanac
The Russians have been using vehicles like this for years.
Slowburn
The flotation device belong devices belong on the body not the tires. preferably as an integral part.
sunfly
A lot of us in the midwest could use something like this to fight grass fires. Build a 3-500 gallon water tank between the frame rails, and make a way for the passenger to control the nozzle. Their smaller vehicle may even work better, and place the two seats in tandem, with the rear higher than the front.
pbschulz
They have had these for as long as I can remember. They are called rock crawlers. Anybody that has visited southern Utah has seen these in action.
Donald Burgres
Great to avoid city's traffic by crossing the harbour!
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