Vintage Thing No.43 - the Terrero

I can remember the point at which I felt four-wheel drives were about to stray too far into the realms of fantasy. It was when I saw the Terrero for the first time (images provided by Car Styling magazine).

Four wheel drives trucks should look like they can climb Mount Everest. Here was one that looked like it was doing 100mph standing still. It also passed the Thunderbird puppet test - could I honestly see Virgil or Gordon behind the wheel of one of these? The answer to all three of these was yes.

Vehma International, owned by Magna International, a Canadian automotive parts supplier, exhibited the 8.2-litre 4x4 Terrero as a highly developed concept car at the 1989 Geneva show. It was a wide-hipped, fat flared off-road sportscar, which sounds great until you see the flush fitting glass and expensive interior, but at the time I was impressed by it. I still think it looks great and with 535bhp it could do the 0-60 dash in 7 seconds and the standing quarter in 15, despite weighing 2.2 tons.

So it should be a lot lighter and nowadays a common rail diesel would be a better engine. Even though it's a twenty year old design, I still think it looks good - better than many of today's SUVs, in fact. It's timeless lines are attributable to Steve Winter and Charles W Perry of Designworks, which became part of Vehma during the project.



The problem for me with the Terrero was that I just couldn’t see anyone enjoying it off road. That ought to be its natural environment but it was too compromised by style and luxury. It's too precious. If I took this thing off road, I would be too worried about scratching it - even if it didn’t belong to me. In fact, especially if it didn’t belong to me. This is a vehicle that owns you. It makes you too responsible.

Manfred Gingl, CEO of Vehma, wrote a Statement of Purpose to define the Terrero. It was to be the ultimate sports-luxury recreation vehicle of the future. It was to have four wheel drive whilst not primarily be for off-roading and when the Torrero was unveiled at the 1989 Geneva Show it caused something of a stir. Looking back, it probably heralded all the awful Sport Utiliy Vehicles I've to abhor.

But as my old tutor Dave Brown would have said - "I find myself liking it."

Strip it out, lighten it and get rid of all that show room appeal nonsense like the swiveling driver’s chair. This was purportedly to allow better access to the rear seat but to my mind it simply anticipates the morbidly immobile and obese customers that so-called Sport Utilities are aimed at.

Bin all that posh stuff and when we exercise the performance maybe we could say yes if anyone asks us if we were having fun yet.

The V8 engine for the Torrero was an all aluminium 8132cc design from Eagle Engines, another acquisition of Vehma International as the project unfolded. This engine had 32 valves and two spark plugs per cylinder (some articles claimed three) to enhance combustion in those big 107.9mm x 111.1mm cylinders. With a 9.4:1 compression ratio, it put out 535 bhp at 5250rpm and 79 kgm at 4500 rpm. CEO of Eagle Engines was Joseph J Schbech, a drag racer and engineer who obviously knew what makes a good V8.

Suspension was by unequal length wishbones all round with 4 wheel vented disc brakes. Pirelli had to be invited to design new tyres for it. The gearbox was an automatic, so the Terrero dropped a couple of desirability points in my reckoning.

But because it inspired my amazement and curiosity, the Torrero qualifies as a Vintage Thing. It has the potential to become even more of a Vintage Thing if it ever won the Paris-Dakar Rally.

What saves in my eyes is that I can't imagine a Terrero on the school run in Chelsea, protecting all those Tarquins and Jocastas from their environment. It's only got two doors for a start. It wouldn't be practical enough - but since when has a Chelsea tractor ever been practical?

Sport Utilities that have four doors are like sports saloons - a contradiction in terms. Some sports saloons - Triumph Dolomite Sprint anyone? - work but most do not. And four door SUVS are just UVs.

As for the Thunderbird puppet test, I reckon Thunderbird 2 has a pod full of Terreros for each member of the Tracy family - none of whom were ever called Tarquin or Jocasta.