cruising along South Beach sandsWhere chrome-clad supercars and raised G-Wagens have become obsolete, the Apocalypse Juggernaut 6×6 legitimately causes traffic jams as pedestrians and drivers alike stop and stare. Maybe a custom 6×6 that doubles the rear axles of an already formidable car RAM TRX It could only emerge from the swamps of Florida (or Texas, although that’s a story for a different day) but the cartoonish fender flares, the exaggerated supercharger’s whine, and the stylized sound of the Hellcat V8’s chronically exhaustive still manage to grab everyone’s attention.
Back in the real world, Ford plans to begin delivering customers the radical F-150 indoors Raptor R Soon, the V8-powered supercharged truck was first revealed in June as a response to Ram’s TRX in the auto industry’s ever-escalating pickup truck wars. But the game of individual supremacy may soon be over, as government regulations begin to dominate the big-power figures, long-travel suspensions, and aggressive designs of most American pickups.
However, aftermarket tuners have fewer concerns, which explains why manufacturing end of the world From Fort Lauderdale, FL, he can build a 6×6 based TRX that he calls “Juggernaut” after a very popular meme that ended up in the 2006 franchise movie. X-Men: Last Stand.
Apocalypse founder, designer and engineer Joe Ghattas sketched out those inverted fender flares in hopes of turning the “standard” TRX-based 6×6 dubbed “Warlord” that Apocalypse built last year into something much more. After all, a strikingly radical oversold is exactly what its clients want from Apocalypse and his parent company, SoFlo . Jeeps.
The grille, an all-steel bumper he calls “grumper,” 40-inch mudguard tires on custom SFJ wheels, plus a tuned Hellcat all add striking presence. But Juggernaut’s evolution goes back to an earlier era, before Ram even launched the TRX (itself a response to the F-150 Raptor’s long-term market dominance).
Hemi’s evil power
Ghattas was originally based on his creations 6×6 Jeep WranglersHe then began using the Gladiator to take advantage of the boosted driveline components since his designs typically feature a Hellcat, LS or turbocharged engine. But when Ram unveiled the TRX, he discovered that the industry’s most robust heavy-duty pickup chassis served as the perfect foundation for his scaling and bolder business.
Closing the fender flares, front and rear fenders, and bed trim to allow for an extension of the feet only covers the cosmetics—the Yard goes pretty well under the skin, too. It moves the rear axle further back, clamping into a new stiff mid-axle and equipped with a 9-inch Ford in-house designed and manufactured rear end, then connecting the two to a custom support shaft to create true all-wheel drive.
Unlike Jeeps, which only offer rear-wheel drive thanks to a true two-speed transfer case, the TRX uses full-time four-wheel drive from the factory, so the Juggernaut 6×6 ends up with six-wheel drive full-time, albeit with open differentials (all four can be locked). , from the note). Ghattas also adds another set of active dampers to retain one of the Juggernaut’s TRX’s best features: flawless Ram and Bilstein suspension tuning.
Of course, the TRX already weighs 6,439 pounds from the factory — but still 702 horsepower allows a stock truck to cut the 0-60 time as low as 3.7 seconds. The Juggernaut would likely weigh close to 8000 pounds, thanks in large part to its set of six massive 40-inch mud tires tipping the scales at more than 100 pounds each.
To make up for the extra heft, a little work was done on the bumps of the Hellcat 6.2L Hemi V8 tunable with up to 850 horsepower. New injectors, tune the ECU, a smaller supercharger spool to allow the blower to push out more boost, as well as moving coolant to the bottom of the bed (now much larger), all support the extra grunt. Forget about actually putting the Juggernaut on the Dino, since nobody makes one be able to test the six-thrusted monsters.
monster command
In fact, climbing behind the wheel requires a huge step up on the running boards that automatically retract, then wake the monster up as soon as you hit the start button. From there, nearly every driver will need a quick adjustment moment to likely acclimate to their highest seating position ever. Other than sitting high up and looking at the roofs of other “full-size” pickup trucks stuck in Florida traffic, though, the Juggernaut feels surprisingly tame from inside the cabin. Sure, the grunting exhaust and supercharger sounds provide a constant reminder of all the power on the tap, but compared to the base TRX, the excellent suspension and refined driveline components eliminate any possibility of breakage, bumping or jolting. The left and right turns don’t even require a very wide arc—although, rest assured, everyone else on the road is deliberately keeping their eyes on the truck.
Apocalypse is also installing a host of interior upgrades to help justify the Juggernaut’s $300,000 price tag. The star-studded headliner and embroidered upholstery stand out immediately, while the use of the original 12-inch Ram touchscreen for a very useful backup camera and “Zombie Cam” thermal imaging are fun details. The increasingly popular digital rearview mirror helps improve visibility due to the patented rear bed cover and all the original switches still control the TRX’s many driving modes.
An extra set of rear brakes on the new center axle helps inspire confident driving given the truck’s additional size and weight, while also supporting Apocalypse’s alleged improvement of the TRX’s traction rating, which is now 20,000 pounds versus the 8100 for all four wheels.
However, a quick stab on the throttle with identical tension on the steering wheel can easily produce tumultuous six-wheel drifts, and believe it or not, a diver laughingly tells stories of customers jumping off-road to his 6×6. Most of them, though, are They just want rolling advertising for their business, their vanity, or just their wealth – MPGs and greenhouse gases are damned. This is Florida, remember, although Apocalypse also regularly ships trucks to the Middle East.
When buying a custom 6×6 at this price point, customers will likely give reliability less than a moment’s clue. Not a diver who loves when his buildings come back to the shop After taking a beating off road— specifically so that he can get information under it and take notes on how his edits will continue. The next Juggernaut, which is already underway, will include a revised transmission to improve engine compartment airflow while contributing to the coherence of the front end design with a more substantial new skid plate.
Unstoppable demand
If the Leviathan seems to be a passing fad that may fade as the electric revolution continues, guess again! Apocalypse launched 120 trucks last month, up from an average of 80 trucks per month for the first half of 2022. As the only company that actively produces such widely-promised conversions but rarely delivers 6×6 conversions, a diver can’t keep his build on shelves. In fact, other famous names in the game are knocking on his door asking Apocalypse to build trucks under license.
A diver plans to move Apocalypse to a larger facility to keep up with the popularity of Juggernaut. Expect a similar treatment when Ford finally releases the highly anticipated Raptor R, but also a few surprises in the form of more exotic conversions, too. Right now, though, nothing can beat the undisputed heavyweight champ of 6×6 pickup trucks for those who feel the need to own and drive something undeniably hyper like the Juggernaut.
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