Braxton Taylor
Amazon’s hit 2022 series “The Terminal List” provided eight episodes of pure eye candy for military gear aficionados. We watched with rapt attention, afraid to miss a single gun, gadget or piece of gear. One of the more expensive products featured in the show was the Rezvani Tank.
In the series, which stars Chris Pratt as a Navy SEAL ensnared in a sprawling conspiracy, the tank belongs to supervillain Steven Horn. He travels in a Mercedes G-class SUV, but his henchmen escort him throughout California like Batman through Gotham in the futuristic off-roaders. In real life, the vehicle is in production and available to the public — and it’s even better than it looks on TV.
Given that AM General reported an $89 million contract with the Army National Guard for just 740 Humvees in 2018, it seems the Pentagon still has some degree of interest in blowing cash on expensive middleweight tactical vehicles. If you’re hoping and wishing you could wake up to a motor pool full of Rezvani Tanks, you’re not alone.
Let’s get under the hood of this Hollywood star and see whether the upstart company has a future with the U.S. military.
Who and What Is Rezvani?
For a company that builds such auspicious vehicles, Rezvani is surprisingly secretive.
According to the L.A. Times, Rezvani began building its supercars in a sprawling Santa Ana, California, factory as early as 2014. The mailing-only address on the official website is in Helena, Montana (for reasons that have nothing to do with taxes, I’m sure). In 2021, the automotive site duPont Registry reported that Rezvani had opened customer experience centers in Costa Mesa, California, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ferris Rezvani, the company’s founder and owner, grew up watching his father fly the F-4 Phantom and wanted to build a car that could recreate the thrill of flight. His creations include the aptly named Retro RR1 (based on the Porsche 911) for driving purists, the 007-inspired Beast (ejection seat not included) and a slew of in-your-face off-roaders that look like they drove right out of a video game.
All you need to know is that Rezvani builds incredible custom vehicles with no expense spared for the most discerning — and affluent — clientele.
Rezvani Trucks Will Take You to Hell and Back
Rezvani’s truck lineup includes the Tank, Arsenal, Vengeance and Hercules. The first three are SUVs; the Hercules is a six-wheeled truck. There are also special Military Edition versions of the Tank and Hercules.
The bones of these vehicles come from existing passenger vehicles such as the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, but Rezvani goes far beyond body kits and leather interior pieces. Sure, you can get your Rezvani with a standard engine and suspension setup, but why would you when there are options such as a 1,000-horsepower, supercharged 6.4-liter V8 from a Dodge Demon and Fox off-road racing suspension available? Don’t be a cheapskate!
Want armor and bulletproof glass? That comes standard. Rezvani also offers features such as thermal imaging, electrified door handles to shock would-be carjackers, pepper spray cannons in the side mirrors, a rooftop escape hatch, an explosive device detection system, a smokescreen and the prepper gadget du jour: EMP protection. That sounds like a pretty capable combat truck to me.
If you need a break from being productive, feel free to spend hours creating your dream truck with the Rezvani configurator. My high score is currently $513,395 for a Hercules Military Edition with sensible upgrades of $7,500 for an 18-gallon auxiliary fuel tank and $3,500 for green gauges instead of black.
Will the US Military Get a New Ride?
The Defense Department is buying lots of new vehicles these days. There are hybrid upgrades for existing tactical vehicles, the incoming Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) and a slew of prototypes that include electric vehicles (EVs) and robots. Unfortunately, the extravagant Rezvani is not among them — for now.
As capable as these vehicles are, they’re also extremely expensive. It’s highly doubtful that Rezvani could ramp up production enough to satisfy a military contract, so any deal would likely get handed off to a third party for manufacturing at scale. Remember, Ford built almost as many Jeeps as Willys did during World War II.
Then there’s the question of who would use it. The Arsenal, Hercules, Tank and Vengeance are all incredible vehicles, but they occupy a segment the U.S. military seems to be moving away from. Instead of similarly sized vehicles such as the outgoing Humvee, it’s investing in ones that are larger (like the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle) or smaller (like the ISV). In that paradigm, a Rezvani truck is both too much and not enough at the same time.
Making the Case for the Rezvani Vengeance
Sorry, service members. I don’t think you’ll be rocking out to a Rezvani’s premium sound system in a convoy anytime soon. But I, for one, am holding out hope.
The Pentagon may not have a use for Rezvani, but the State Department does. The federal government recently inked a $25 million (minimum) deal with GM Defense and NP Aerospace for the Heavy-Duty SUV, a Suburban that’s been beefed up with a 6.2-liter V8, armor, heavy-duty suspension and an oversized cabin air filter.
Sound familiar? On paper, the Rezvani Vengeance looks like an HD-SUV that got its heart broken and spent the following year taking its frustrations out at the gym. It’s undoubtedly capable of doing the job and would certainly help diplomats make an entrance.
Too bad nobody at the State Department asks for my car-buying advice.
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