Baddest off-roader ever

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With twin 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engines and a super-stiff carbon-fiber body, the Jeep Hurricane concept truck is the boldest, most fearsome rock crawler ever built. But the real achievement lies underneath. A central transfer case called the T-Box receives the opposing engines' driveshafts and apportions a combined 700 horsepower and 750 pound-feet of torque to all four independently sprung wheels. Each wheel can deflect up to 45 degrees off-center, enabling the Hurricane to scoot diagonally like a beach crab or, when coupled with the gearbox's ability to turn the wheels in opposite directions, spin in place like, well, a hurricane.
Of course, the Hurricane goes forward and backward, too-and fast. It'll blast to 60 mph in an estimated five seconds, hit a projected 120 mph, and, thanks to 14.3 inches of ground clearance, scramble over just about anything the unpaved world can throw at it. Don't hold your breath waiting for the Hurricane to blow into your local Jeep dealership, but the company is looking to bring elements of the concept into production trucks.

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