Very nice! What different build are you going to do?
Thanks!
Sorry for hijacking the thread a bit.
Rommel is now totally proven and a very solid, all-together vehicle. I bought it new and drove it stock only for a couple of years before rebuilding it. The rest has been a journey of continuous minor improvements by either breaking things or by redefining my needs. It's been tested in Morocco, Lapland, Spain and in Europe in general. It's been very well taken care of and quite expensive to build due to plenty of custom made installations.
Over to my very possible new build:
I have always dreamed of portal axles so that would be highly likely.
I am hooked on plenty of power ever since I bought the G55K so it would have to be an AMG. This is because they don't provide the wonderful V8 Diesel option anymore. I have a 300hp KCR-chip on Rommel and it is a beast.
Rommel's bull bar is awesome. By retracting two lockable spindles it tilts down and doubles as a loading platform. It is engineered for heavy duty so it easily carries two deer or two wild boar. I use the front winch to load up. I'd like the next owner to keep that bull bar and I'd make a duplicate for the new ride.
The 140l additional fuel cell with transporter fuel pump will be copied.
I'll copy the two-level luggage compartment with tie-down ring bolts and a steel grid bulkhead to the cabin - all very strong and clever and it all stays with the vehicle when I sell it.
I'll also copy the foldable cooking station which hangs on the bull bar at perfect ergonomic height. It's a great location as it keeps annoying smoke away from the cabin. When cooking in fierce sunshine I stick a parasol on the bull bar which provides excellent protection without trapping uncomfortable heat from the three-burner cooker. In Morocco I've been getting fresh fish from the fishermen on the beach, straight from the Atlantic into the Bouille à Baisse cooking on the stove - quite splendid indeed!
Other general gear I would definitely copy from Rommel for the new build are: compressor, portable rear hitch winch, RC search lights on the flanks of the roof rack, roof rack mounted rear flood lights, GPS, extra battery, underbelly protection, heavy duty suspension with extension stop-slings, steel braided extended brake hoses, twin hydraulic jacks, Hi-Lift and complete recovery gear including sand anchor and extra plasma rope for long distance winching, rear standby air bellows (in case a coil spring breaks), water capacity and of course the awesome stock Bose sound system.
However, the new build will not have a roof tent, neither a fixed awning. Instead I'll sacrifice the rear seat bench to give room for stowage and I'll have a flatbed inside of the cabin. There will be a light weight roof rack which will incorporate another feature from Rommel which I quite like: a hinged "emergency exit" opening right on top of the sun roof. It opens from both sides and flies up on gas struts. It's great to keep open when there is a risk for needing to shoot out quickly like if you go into the drink or flip the vehicle and the doors get blocked. For normal use it's handy when I need to quickly go up on the roof rack to identify an animal with the binos or take a quick photograph from up high with a clear view.
Those are my thoughts, more or less.
