What the hell is that?
It's a Mercedes-Benz Unimog. It most likely started it's life with the German or Swiss Army. The MOD took it over in 2001 and fitted the box on its back. They used it as a research vehicle, hence the generator and all the electrics that were inside. I bought it in 2007 to convert into a Expedition Vehicle to travel to Africa.

I take it you don't want to get stuck?
Erm, no. But no vehicle is invincible and I expect I'll get it stuck one day.

How many miles to the gallon does it do?
I've worked the fuel economy out to be 13.8mpg. That's fully loaded! Off road would be less, maybe below 10mpg.

How much did it cost to build?
Better you don't ask! Overall it's cost somewhere near £30,000 to buy and prepare the vehicle.

Do you think it's worth all the effort?
Actually, yes. I get an enormous amount of pleasure from doing the conversion. Whether or not I'll see all the money back I've spent remains to be seen. If we have a couple of years living in it, it'll worth every penny.

Where can I get one from?
They're not the kind of vehicle you can find in a showroom. There're company's such as Unicat that will build a unit to your specifications, though they're mega bucks. Most people don't have that amount of money laying around so opt to building their own. I'm lucky that I can take on a project like this, most people don't have the ability or the space to do it.

That's a bit high isn't it?
Yes, yes it is.

Why does it have a Mercedes badge on the front?
It was on there when I bought it!