the worlds most powerful road cars

The special Unimog we featured earlier was a celebration of this vehicle, the regular Unimog s incredible life. It s a German workhorse that just never stops. Quite the 4x4 to get you out of a tricky situation, what with all its clever gearbox, suspension and tyre technology.

According to EVR which stands for Eric Vigouroux Racing this is the most technically advanced desert racer ever made. It s powered by a Corvette V8 engine and features a Fortin sequential gearbox.

First things first that is not a Lada Niva Marsh. It is in fact a Lada Niva Cossack. The 1990s style graphics along the side may have given the game away. But it did form the basis of the Lada Niva Marsh. In 1998, a Lada Niva reached the North Pole, having been dropped by parachute and then completing the trek under its own steam. A Niva Marsh did it again in 1999 and then once again in 2000. A proper warrior.

Seriously, what s not to like about the mad, desert taming Volkswagen Touareg? There have been a number of versions, but what you see here is the Race Touareg 3, which competed in the 2011 Dakar Rally. Volkswagen scored a one two three in the overall standings, with Carol Sainz who was defending his 2010 title finishing third behind the other Touareg drivers.

Whatever your thoughts on Hummer, there s no denying the brand knew how to deliver some pretty outrageous off road vehicles. The HX concept unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show was one of the last rolls of the dice for the company. Ironically, it s one of the most appealing and least outrageous of all the Hummers, being a compact, two door off road vehicle. Time has been very kind to it. The Hummer HX is ageing rather well.

The Mercedes Benz Ener G Concept uses a hydro tech converter to turn water into hydrogen. As a result, it emits only water vapour from its exhaust. According to Mercedes Benz, its potential range is as much as 500 miles. It won t see production, but that doesn t matter. We simply love looking at it.