Prodrive Hunter: ‘world’s first all-terrain hypercar’ unveiled

A powerful (and pricey) new adventure vehicle has been revealed, and the manufacturer has the Middle East market squarely in its sights

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  The Prodrive Hunter is ready to roll. All photos: Prodrive

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  A limited number of Hunters have already been delivered to customers.

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  At rest in front of the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay.

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  Breezing past the palms.

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  It's not often you see a spoiler on an SUV.

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  Now that's what you call a hunkered down look.

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  The Prodrive vehicle that took part in the Bahrain Raid Xtreme event is what the production Hunter is based on.

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  If you're this close and the car is moving, you may want to step aside.

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  No number plate as yet.

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  Sebastien Loeb takes part in the Bahrain Raid Xtreme race.

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  The Prodrive Hunter is in the Middle East.

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  Sebastien Loeb tops a dune in the Bahrain Raid Xtreme race.

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  Darkened windscreen, ready for the desert.

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  The Hunter's dashboard set up is less basic than the car's outside look might indicate.

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  The Hunter has plenty of room underneath to tackle those pesky inclines.

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  The Prodrive car in the Bahrain Raid Xtreme race gets some air under its wheels.

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  A drone's eye view.

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  Nothing basic here.

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  The suspension on the Hunter is built for bumps.

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  The Hunter has been touted by Prodrive as the 'Ferrari of the desert'.

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  The Hunter's generous air vents.

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  The Hunter's rear spoiler.

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  Sand? No problem.

If traditional heavy-duty SUVs aren’t quite dramatic enough for you, a newly unveiled vehicle that significantly ups the ante in the off-road stakes may be more up your street. Or, indeed, whatever surface you choose to drive it on.

British manufacturer Prodrive has revealed the Hunter, a road-going version of a contender the company built for the Dakar Rally that it claims will be the world’s first all-terrain hypercar.

The new arrival is, of course, a four-wheel drive affair, with power coming from a 3.5-litre V6-turbo engine that produces 600 brake horsepower and 700Nm of torque.

Initial estimates as to what the Hunter can do are impressive — the road-going version will reportedly have a 0-100 kilometres per hour time of less than four seconds and a top speed of 300kph. Take that, tarmac and dunes.

The vehicle the Hunter is based on is one Prodrive produced for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme event, which is part of the Dakar Rally. As the production model doesn’t have to comply with competition regulations though, the manufacturer has managed to squeeze an extra 50 per cent of oomph out of the engine.

The Prodrive vehicle that took part in the Bahrain Raid Xtreme event is what the production Hunter is based on.

Company chairman David Richards said the new arrival's ability to go anywhere was key to its appeal.

“There are numerous hypercars on the market, however they all need good roads or even race tracks to show their performance,” he said.

“We identified that in certain parts of the world, particularly the Middle East, there are vast expanses still to be explored that go way beyond the access provided by asphalt roads.

“Therefore, why not create a vehicle that gives the opportunity to explore these regions with performance way beyond that offered by any off-road vehicle before?”

A development version of the Hunter is currently touring the Middle East, and prospective customers are being offered the chance to drive it and consider what personal specifications they might fancy.

The Prodrive Hunter will cost £1.25 million plus local taxes (Dh6.25m), so we might not all be driving one, but the first customers will receive their vehicles later in 2022.