Form follows function nowhere as clearly as in the
military, where vehicles are designed to serve a purpose, not to look pretty.
Just look at AM General and its Humvee platform or this latest design for an
even more austere illustration.
It's called the Partisan One, and it's the first
product from a new German startup that aims to simplify military ground
transportation.
As you can plainly see, the Partisan One is
simplicity itself, distilling the two-box form down to its barest form. Like
the GVT Ox, it's designed to pack flat in knock-down kits that can be sent – up
to five in a standard shipping container – to where they're needed and
assembled on the spot, instead of being shipped as complete vehicles.
The basic frame is fitted with mounting points to
which armor plating can be attached, and the manufacturer envisions offering
numerous versions, including short- and long-wheelbase models, pickups, even
three- and four-axle variants.
Precise specifications have apparently yet to be finalized,
but the inherent simplicity of the design means that they could remain in
service for decades, allowing for upgrades when needed without needing to
replace the vehicle itself.
In fact Dr. Juri Postnikov – the Russian-Germany
engineer behind Partisan Motors – intends to offer a 100-year warranty on each
one it sells, though that'd mean the company would still need to be around in a
hundred years to honor it.
