Crowdfunding starts for revolutionary flat-pack truck

The Ox, the world’s first flat-pack truck, is nearer than ever to being manufactured – and it will benefit everyday folk in remote places in Africa once it goes into serial production.

The utility vehicle has been designed by legendary automotive stylist Gordon Murray. He is currently crowdfunding to raise the money required to get the project to trial stage in Africa, where final modifications such as a tougher gearbox, more cooling and a longer wheelbase will be tested. So far, £150,000 of the £450,000 required has been raised.

Sir Torquil Norman, the main backer of the charity Global Vehicle Trust, is behind the Ox project. He wanted to make a light, durable, all-terrain vehicle for remote African regions, which would easily move around everything from people to water and market supplies.

Working with Murray, with a budget of around £3million so far (half the money required to get into production), the result is three Ox prototypes. These use Murray’s iStream design principles, along with mostly cheap and easily available components.

The truck’s central driving position flanked by two passenger seats is a Murray trademark, and it means the steering wheel can stay in the same place, whatever the country. The Ox can carry two tonnes; that could be eight 44-gallon drums, three pallets or ten people on bench seats in the rear. Not bad for something that’s the length of a Ford Focus.

Construction is a simple steel ladder-frame chassis with wooden panels bonded on for rigidity, while the engine is a 98bhp 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel. It’s from a Ford Transit, which means both the unit and its spares are commonly available. Suspension components are smart but simple, and the fact they aren’t handed means you can swap them around, as with many of the body panels. As the entire truck can effectively be flat-packed, you can fit six Oxs into a standard container. It can be assembled using simple tools in a day.