World's Largest Pickup Truck Is a Mind-Blowing Contraption With a Full Mansion Inside

He got his nickname after he famously bought seven brand-new Mercedes 500 SEL cars and got them painted in every color of the rainbow. The man has spent a lifetime amassing hundreds of rare and eccentric vehicles that are on display at four different museums. He holds the Guinness World record for the largest collection of 4×4 vehicles at 718 cars, some of which he stores in his own pyramid outside Abu Dhabi. Interestingly enough, some of the automobiles in his impressive collection are recognized as record holders on their own, like the Hummer H1 X3, the world's biggest moving Hummer, and the world’s biggest SUV, called the Dhabiyan.

However, this story is neither about the colorful Mercedes fleet nor about the gigantic Hummer, but rather about another outlandish automobile creation that stands out in his garage. We're talking about the largest, most extreme truck that has ever graced the face of Earth - a replica of a classic 1950 Dodge Power Wagon pick-up, but eight times larger.

The original Dodge Power Wagon was America's first mass-produced 4×4 pick-up truck and became quite popular both for its toughness and its ability to go anywhere. It was manufactured from 1945 to 1980, and the company later resurrected the nameplate in 2005 for a new model.

"Go big or go home," the saying goes, but Sheikh Hamad seems to be taking it literally, as proved by this creation. The decision to build a larger-than-life replica of this particular truck is no coincidence either, as the Rainbow Sheikh chose the 1950 Dodge Power Wagon because it was one of the first vehicles used by oil pioneers in the 1950s, so it's considered synonymous with the oil boom of that decade. It's also said to be the sheik’s all-time favorite vehicle.

Since there was no other vehicle this size from which to borrow the chassis, the Dodge Power Wagon replica is built on a bespoke chassis and frame that were crafted especially for the project. And the attention to detail is mind-blowing.

The mammoth red-colored truck took a few months to build, and its body takes the form of the above-mentioned pick-up, save for one detail: every single part of the platform was built on a much larger scale. Actually, the scale of this crazy contraption was limited by the size of the wheels the builders could find and fit on it. As it turns out, the gigantic replica weighs more than 50 tons and rides on wheels that are normally used for transporting oil rigs.

It also borrowed the massive wiper blades from an ocean liner, while the headlamps were custom made to fit the size of the vehicle.

As incredible as it might sound, the huge vehicle is drivable and fully operational. It even has a registration plate, so it can legally be driven on Abu Dhabi's roads. Now, you might be wondering what moves this mammoth around. The answer is a Detroit Diesel straight-6 engine from an earthmover that produces 300 hp (304 ps). The brakes, steering linkages, suspension arms, and all other underpinnings are present there.

To better understand how big this thing is, imagine that it actually houses a luxury villa inside, with a living room, a full-size kitchen, four large air-conditioned bedrooms, and bathrooms. Access inside the fully-furnished mansion is made through a door and a flight of stairs somewhere below the cab. And the surprises don't end here, as the motorized tailgate folds down to reveal a patio at the back of the truck that offers views of the Abu Dhabi desert.

Sadly, we couldn't find any recent photos of the interior of the truck, but you can have a sneak peek at how it used to look some years ago, when Jeremy Clarkson got to see the majestic monster in person, in the video at the end of this piece.

Overall, the Dodge Power Wagon replica is the world's largest pick-up truck, and those who want to see it for themselves can find it on display at the pyramid-shaped Emirates National Auto Museum, which is open to the public for free.

The 75-year-old Sheikh Hamad is one of the richest people in the UAE, with an estimated net worth in excess of $20 billion. He spent part of his wealth on building one of the largest car collections in the world, and he has a taste for doing things on a large scale. Besides large-scale vehicles, he also constructed a motorhome in the shape of a giant globe.