Custom Ineos Grenadier and Quartermaster Off-Roaders Tease Portal Axles, V-8 Engines, and Good Times
And these new off-road trucks and SUVs are not just for show, as Ineos promises that some are headed for limited production soon.
Jeep has long loved to tease us at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, with concepts that may hint at future production models. Now British 4x4 specialist Ineos Automotive has taken a leaf out of Jeep’s book and revealed several Grenadier wagon and Quartermaster pickup-based concepts at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. And most of them are either production feasible or already confirmed to be heading for limited production; here are the details.
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“Ineos is about the art of the possible,” says Ineos Automotive commercial director George Ratcliffe. “We are basically a one car brand, so these vehicles are about showing how versatile it is. They are also a bit of a test and learn for us.”
Heading the lineup are portal-axle versions of the Grenadier wagon and Quartermaster pickup created in conjunction with German off-road engineering specialist LeTech GmbH & Co KG. It’s a serious piece of kit. LeTech, which was founded in 2009 as a classic Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen restoration business, is the company that engineered the portal axle driveline of the previous generation Mercedes-Benz G Class 4x42.
In combination with 37-inch diameter BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires, the LeTech portal axles increase ground clearance of the Grenadier and Quartermaster by 9.8-inches to 20.2-inches, and boosts wading depth from 31.5 inches to 41.3 inches. Though not an official production model, the portal axle Ineos is more than just a concept. LeTech has built five vehicles for a German fire department, and Ratcliffe says Ineos will build portal axle models to order for private customers.
Like the old G-Class 4x42, the portal axle Grenadier and Quartermaster won’t be cheap: Ratcliffe says buyers can expect to pay about $220,000 for one, roughly three times the price of the entry-level Grenadier wagon. But if there’s enough demand, he says, Ineos may consider making the portal axle models part of the official Grenadier and Quartermaster line up, and that higher volumes will bring the price down.
The Ineos ‘Shortermaster’ is a short-bed version of the Quartermaster pickup. Essentially a Grenadier wagon with the rear load space converted into an open pickup tray, the wheelbase of ‘Shortermaster’ is therefore 12 inches shorter than that of the regular Quartermaster. That gives it slightly better off-road performance thanks to its better ramp-over angle.
The Shortermaster has nowhere near the load carrying capacity of the regular Quartermaster, a vehicle Ineos CEO Lynn Calder says the company is considering building in the U.S. but Ratcliffe says there have been requests from European customers who want a pickup that’s smaller than the Quartermaster. And it’s entirely production feasible: Ratcliffe says the Shortermaster could be engineered and built entirely in-house at the Ineos Automotive plant in Hambach, France.
The Ineos Grenadier Detour is the first of what Ratcliffe says will be several limited-edition models to be created by the company’s new in-house custom shop, Arcane Works. Just 200 of these highly equipped Wagons will be produced. Detour models come with 18-inch forged alloy wheels, feature a redesigned front grille, and are available in four exclusive colors: Magma Red, Whiteout Blue, Squall Green and Storm Force Silver, each hand polished. Arcane Works also offers paint-to-sample colors. A unique exterior contrast pack includes new color options for the front and rear skid plates, roof rails and rear ladder.
Inside, Detour buyers can choose between four fine-grain Bridge of Weir leathers for the quilted seat upholstery, two cashmeres from Johnstons of Elgin for the roof lining, and two new satin finishes for the transmission tunnel, doors, and air-vents. The exterior and interior badging is the work of British jewelers, Vaughtons.
The Grenadier wagon developed by UK-based off-road aftermarket operation Buzz Special Vehicles has been engineered to compete in the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship, which includes events such as the Dakar desert race. Under the hood is a tuned version of the BMW 3.0-liter straight-six that develops 348 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, a 67 hp and 74 lb-ft increase over the production engine.
The car is also equipped with off-road racing suspension, uprated brakes, and bespoke alloy wheels. The stripped-out cabin features a full roll-cage, racing bucket seats and carbon interior door panels. The car is a prototype, but Ratcliffe says Buzz Special Vehicles plans to race and develop this go-fast Grenadier with a view to selling customer versions in the future.
Unlike the other Grenadier models shown at Goodwood, the Grenadier "V8 Prototype" is most definitely not for production. “We get asked about a V-8 all the time,” says George Ratcliffe, “but there are no plans to build one. This is just a bit of fun.”
The V8 Prototype, which is powered by a 6.2-liter Chevy V-8 that makes 425 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, was created as a one-off project for apprentices working at Ineos Automotive’s engineering partner, Magna. Swapping the BMW-sourced 282-hp and 332-lb-ft 3.0-liter straight-six for the Chevy V-8 required a complete re-engineering of the engine mounts, engine electrics and electronics, water and oil cooling, exhaust system, transmission bearings and heat shields, as well a revised centre console. Too bad there's just the one, then.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More
