The seven-time Formula 1 champion has switched to authentic off-roading. And by all accounts he really enjoyed the trip.
Sir Lewis Hamilton is known to all primarily as a Formula 1 driver, in which he competes for the Mercedes-AMG team. He also owns several cars of this brand, including the rare hypersport One. However, he recently had the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of a rough off-road vehicle, under the hood of which a BMW engine is hiding. And apparently he really enjoyed the trip.
That car was the new Ineos Grenadier, which follows the traditional Land Rover Defender in terms of technology, design and functionality. It should be added that Ineos Automotive is a subsidiary of the chemical giant Ineos Group, which is one of the main sponsors of the F1 team. Jim Ratcliffe, the founder of the Ineos company, was the company in the grenadiers’ cabin, then the driver.
Hamilton, which most of us mostly associate with flat supersports, apparently enjoyed driving offroad with a pair of stiff axles. According to him, the Grenadier looks like a car from a Bond movie, and he would personally order it in black, with additional roof lights and on larger off-road tires.
The driver tested the novelty both on the road, where the car surprised with the grip, and off-road, where he didn’t really spare it and gave it a good ride. After all, even Jim Ratcliffe himself may have been slightly nervous about his driving style at times. He mentioned in the video that the Grenadier was developed primarily as a high-quality off-roader, but obviously it won’t get lost on the road either.
We add that under the hood of the new off-roader is a 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine from BMW, but customers can choose between petrol and diesel powertrains. A ZF gearbox then takes care of power transmission to the all-wheel drive system with three lockable differentials. At the same time, the Grenadier is a true off-roader with a bodywork on a solid chassis and a pair of rigid axles.
Recall that Jim Ratcliffe was initially interested in buying the rights to continue production of the classic Defender from Jaguar Land Rover, but the automaker did not agree. Then, when Ineos introduced the Grenadier, the British carmaker tried to stop production, accusing the Grenadier’s design of being too similar to the original Defender. However, the court dismissed the lawsuit because the classic Defender’s appearance was not specifically protected.
Production of the new Ineos Grenadier has started in the past few weeks and the first pieces are expected to reach customers this year. At the same time, the novelty is also available on the Czech market, where Dajbych is a partner of the British brand.
