Power Stroke Goes Off-Road Racing
Having served diligently in more than a million Ford work and sport trucks, the Power Stroke Diesel is getting into a new game. Teamed with International Truck and Engine Corporation, the manufacturer of the 7.3L diesel engine, Ford Motor Company has built the Power Stroke Diesel Excursion desert racer. The Excursion's engine is an experimental version of the standard Power Stroke Diesel built for Ford pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs. Offering as much as 400 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque, the 137-inch wheelbase, 6,000-pound desert racer carries a 60-gallon fuel cell and has more than 16 inches of rear wheel travel and 11 inches of front wheel travel. With features such as these, the Power Stroke Excursion should have no trouble conquering the scheduled events for the 2001 race season. By the time you read this, the Excursion will have competed in the SCORE Baja 500 and will be gearing up for the Best in the Desert Las Vegas to Reno race in September and the SCORE Baja 1000 in November.
The concept Excursion desert racer was built in five months by a group of industry gurus, including John Marking of Fox Shocks, Ron Norton of National Springs, Bill Varnes of Mirage Racing, and lead by Bob Rath and Mark Wildman, both of International. Matt Scaroni and Tom Watson will pilot the hefty race truck. Bob Rath commented on the venture, "This is just one example of how we are working closely with Ford to develop high-performance diesel trucks and SUVs capable of meeting the toughest endurance needs.
Oshkosh Truck Ships MTVR to Marines
Known nationwide as a manufacturer of specialized industrial, fire and emergency, snow removal, and severe-duty defense vehicles, Oshkosh Truck has shipped the first group of its newest tactical vehicle, the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR), to the U.S. Marine Corps for testing. The MTVR, which is said to be more technologically advanced than any other medium-sized military truck, was produced to replace military trucks based on a '49-'50 design. Able to run with any ground-based military vehicle, including the M1 tank, the MTVR is built for 70 percent off-road use with a 7-ton payload capability, and 30 percent on-road use with a 15-ton payload capability. One of its key features is Oshkosh's own TAK-4 (R) independent suspension system, which offers as much as 16 inches of vertical wheel travel. The MTVR can also ford 5 feet of water, climb a 60 percent grade, handle a 30 percent side slope (with its maximum off-road payload), travel at 65 mph, cruise over bumps 12 inches high at 20 mph, and travel for 300 miles on a single tank of fuel. Though you can't pick up one of these babies at your local dealership, it is nice to know that the Few and the Proud will be in good hands.