A Formula One engineer has created a plywood delivery vehicle that can be assembled in 12 hours dubbed the OX.

The engineer in question is Gordon Murray, the manbehind the iconic McLaren F1 super car who also calls Durban his home town.

The OX has been designed to be transported and assembled easily. All the parts and tools come shipped in a flat-pack and the shipping container doubles as the chassis for the vehicle.

What is most interesting however, is that the OX was designed for Africa.

The design brief, according to The Telegraph, identified a number of failures by mainstream vehicles manufacturers to create vehicles suited for Africa. For instance, the rough roads between towns mean that most vehicles just won’t survive and the parts needed to repair them are often hard to come by and expensive.

The engine in the OX is from a Ford Transit according to Top Gear and both the brakes, wheels and power train are lifted from the Ford. This should make getting replacement parts relatively easy since Ford has a relatively strong presence on the continent.

The OX is able to carry up to 1 800kg which is impressive especially considering it weighs only 1 700kg. This means that is perfectly primed to serve as a delivery vehicle transporting water, aid and much more to remote areas in Africa.

Playing dodgems with duties

While most of the manufacturing is done in the UK, the assembly of the vehicle would take place elsewhere. This means that import duties are far less and that the price can remain as low as possible for the African market.

Because the important bits such as brakes, and electrics are assembled in the UK it can take a team of three about 12 hours to fully assemble it and get it on the road.

In safety testing in the UK the OX was found to be incredibly sturdy and durable. Reports suggest that the OX was able to shrug off a 200litre steel drum filled with water dropped from two metres.

By the sounds of it this really is the truck Africa needs and one we hope starts gaining traction (not sorry) locally.

[Source – Top Gear] [Image – OX]