Desert Challenger Is a Rocket Carrier Turned Into the RV With the Most Flex

August is autoevolution’s Expedition Vehicles Month and what better way to celebrate it than with a story on the self-proclaimed biggest motorhome in the whole wide world? Here is Desert Challenger, a massive, powerful and very luxurious overlander that is as technically impressive as it’s lavish.

“Fancy” is not a word you would normally associate with an expedition vehicle (“capable” is a more appropriate association), but it perfectly describes the Desert Challenger. In fact, it’s more than just fancy: it is the ultimate off-road flex for the one-percenters. It is a luxury condo on eight wheels, able to go anywhere – and stay there for long stretches.

The Desert Challenger is built by Action Mobil from Germany, after a development process that took several years. It was unveiled a while back (the ad at the bottom of the page is from 2014, for instance) but it is still in production today and, based on a note on the official website, still out there, showing the world its might by crossing the Arab desert.

Built on a MAN chassis of the type KAT 1 A / 1 8x8, which was initially used to carry rockets / missiles, the Challenger is massive and technically impressive. It boasts ample of space, which is further extendable by two hydraulic lateral extensions that ad 16.4 feet (5 meters) to the living room, and includes anything from a full bathroom to a chef’s kitchen. That last part is not a joke: if you’re laughing at the idea of putting a chef’s kitchen inside a vehicle meant for far-off locations, you’re probably not among the target audience.

This is a vehicle for the one-percenters – those that do enjoy going off-road, that is. It is 3 meters (9.8 feet) wide, 4 meters (12.3 feet) high and 12 meters (29.4 feet) long, and boasts 600 hp. It’s made to go anywhere – and stay there for longer stretches. To that end, it packs 2,500 liters (660 gallons) of fuel and 2,400 liters (625 gallons) of drinking water, 66 kg (145.5 pounds) stored gas, and on-board batteries with a storage capacity of 1000Ah. Solar panels are an option, to further extend the time spent off the grid.

Weighing an estimated 33 tons, the Challenger has a glass reinforced plastic (GRP) sandwich structure that creates a 9.9-cm (3.9-inch) thick wall. There is air-conditioning both inside the main cabin and in the driver’s cab, and there are no less than eight outside surveillance cameras, whose feed can be watched on three TV monitors inside. When you’re out in the wild, best come prepared.

With the basics covered, guests can chill inside in a massive living room and bedroom, with a full bathroom and a chef’s kitchen with a walk-in refrigerator. The fridge alone has a volume of 300 liters (79.3 gallons), so you can entertain all the guests you may come across (in the desert, no less) in the most exquisite way. The bathroom has granite floors, a washing machine in the actual shower room, toilet and sink, and plenty of storage space. The living is mostly furnished in leather and root veneer.

Action Mobil offers no info and no photos of the bedroom, but if the living room is anything to go by, it’s probably just as dated and tacky. And with plenty of leopard prints because, roar!, you’re offroading! On the bright side, each owner can customize the interior to their liking, starting from the base configuration. If you’re thinking about a purchase, it would probably best if you ditched the vases and statuettes or else face the prospect of a huge mess when hitting the road.

If you liked what you saw so far, know that one of these Desert Challengers could be yours for €1.8 million, which is roughly $2.12 million at today’s exchange rate. It’s expensive, for sure, but you get the world’s biggest all-wheel RV aaaand a roof that doubles as a lounge, so you can take the party outside.