At the International Off-road Fair, just staged in Versilia, the off-road world launched a series of hi-tech ideas never seen before. The project, which was born by the will of the Italian Off-road Federation and saw the participation of numerous specialized car brands, also in the off-road sector, thus aiming to become a European reference event for the launch of new ideas. The first? Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of the British chemical company Ineos (a global producer with a staff of over 22,000 people in 183 locations and 26 countries), a dynamic 68-year-old who always has some new ideas on his mind. Perhaps bored by the constant and easy diffusion of his industry on international markets, he wanted to follow other directions. He started by buying Belstaff, a technical clothing brand that any motorcyclist knows well, but the appetite comes with eating and for some years he set up the Grenadier project, which allowed him to enter the automotive world with success.
Hard and pure off-road vehicle, the Ineos 4×4 is practically a patchwork, as the chassis (Gestamp with side members) and bodywork are produced in a factory in Wales (can some Land Rover technicians also work there, given the similarity with the previous Defender? ), while Italian pride is rewarded by the supply of Brembo braking systems and the adoption of Carraro bridges, a company specialized in the production of bridges for agricultural and earth-moving machinery, all “objects” destined for hard work. But already from the first design phase the INEOS Grenadier team had started collaboration with Magna Steyr, 4X4 experts, for the design that would lead to the production vehicle.
As for the engine, an in-line six-cylinder – petrol and diesel – is supplied by BMW, which together also delivers the 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox, and the smooth running of the combination is truly remarkable.
Still in the advanced prototype stage, the Grenadier however has its pearl in the production plant. The owner of Ineos, in fact, not surprisingly the richest man in the United Kingdom according to the authoritative Forbes magazine, to carry out the project on an industrial scale has even bought a factory, the Mercedes one in Hambach, where the current smart is built. (the next will be produced in China, in a Geely factory).
The quality of the new 4×4, therefore, is also given by the sum of many first choice products, a series of primary components that guarantee the creation of a vehicle that will be able to establish itself in that particular sector of the market reserved for “real” off-road vehicles.
Furthermore, as a good forward-looking entrepreneur, Ratcliffe has also thought about assistance, a black point of many manufacturing companies: in case of emergency, Flying Spanner technicians will come to the rescue, even in the most remote places on the planet, to minimize downtime. car. And assistance will be guaranteed by partner dealers and selected Bosch Car Service centers. In fact, a framework agreement with Bosch provides that over 10,000 Bosch Car Service workshops can be contacted in 150 countries around the world.
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