These Huge Vehicles Couldn’t Have Gotten Any Bigger
Despite all their cons, big vehicles never cease to amaze car fanatics! They offer an experience that most average-sized cars cannot, have a formidable presence, and are just fascinating to look at. The automobile industry has produced some really massive cars over the years. The land yacht era, in particular, saw huge gas-guzzlers from Cadillac, Chrysler, Lincoln, Buick, and almost every notable automaker of the time.
Take a look at 40 of the biggest cars ever produced.
Chevrolet Suburban
Chevrolet Suburban has been hailed as the king of extra-large SUVs ever since it debuted in 1936 - thanks to its toughness, ruggedness, and, unimaginable spaciousness. With dimensions stretching to 225.7 inches in length and a wheelbase of 134 inches, this thing is practically a house on wheels.
Chevrolet has launched several family haulers over the years, but no vehicle could get as much fame as this extended, truck-based SUV. As of now, the Suburban comes with either a 5.3L or 6.2L V8, both of which produce reasonable power to move this thing and its inhabitants!
Ford Super Duty LWB Crew Cab
Ford has produced many massive pickup trucks over the years, but none of them has been bigger than the Ford's Super Duty Long Wheelbase Crew Cab. The truck is so powerful and beastly that its main consumers include the mining and construction industries.
The Super Duty Crew Cab has got a powerful V8 turbo diesel engine and an automatic 10-speed transmission system that puts out a massive output of 475 horses. With a length of 266.2 inches (22.2 feet), it's 18 inches longer than the Tundra and is also the longest pickup truck in production today!
Cadillac Escalade ESV
Once famous for its land yachts, Cadillac is now known for its extended-length SUV Escalade ESV, which is easily one of its most successful offerings in recent times. At a mind-boggling 227 inches of length, the Escalade ESV is currently the longest SUV in production today!
Not just presence, the Escalade ESV is equally impressive in performance too! Its 6.2L 420hp V8 engine can catapult this house on wheels to 60mph from a standing position in a little over 6 seconds and can back any offroad adventure. It also offers an incredible rear entertainment system in addition to the signature Cadillac CUE.
Conquest Knight XV
With a fully-armored body, a Ford V10 engine, and bulletproof run-flat tires, Conquest Knight XV is an absolute beast of an SUV. This $800,000 vehicle is 240 inches in length and weighs around 6 tons!
The Knight XV has a wool-carpeted interior consisting of six leather seats, laptop stations, and everything else you might need! If you want to take your ride to the next level, you can upgrade it with external listening devices, satellite TVs, or say a black box recorder!
Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6X6
You don’t see a six-wheeled monster like the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG on the streets every day. The best part is that the six-wheel feature isn’t a modification, that’s just how this vehicle was created, commercially! Yes, you can buy one for yourself for $500,000!
With a bi-turbo V8 engine capable of providing up to 600 horsepower, the G63 AMG 6X6 is beyond remarkable. This 4-ton 19-foot monstrosity was created purely for daring off-road adventures, as is apparent from its one-of-a-kind independent tire pressure control system.
Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight
With its C-body and 7.5-liter V8 engine, Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight was a real contender to Buick Electra and Coupe de Ville in the 70s. This thing was 232.4 inches long, and easily the biggest vehicle Oldsmobile ever created.
In terms of features, Ninety-Eight came with rear-wheel skirts, huge front and back bumpers, and a smooth velour interior. The vehicle was all the hype back in the 70s, so much so that rapper Chuck D rhymed about it in 1987 single 'You're Gonna Get Yours' (also dubbed as 'My 98 Oldsmobile').
Hennessey VelociRaptor 6x6
Hennessey is known for its awesome modifications of existing vehicles. One of their best works is converting the Ford F-150 into a sick-looking vehicle called VelociRaptor. With its 20-inch 6x6 wheels and absolutely killer looks, the VelociRaptor is one of the most stunning pickup trucks ever!
Among all the incredible modifications done by Hennessey, the installation of bigger and better bumpers on the front and rear stands out the most! Even though this pickup is shorter in length than RAM, Silverado, and Sierra, its formidable presence and massive 6x6 wheels make it an even amazing vehicle!
Infiniti Qx80
Infiniti Qx80 is a lavish version of the Armada from the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker. Besides extremely cool safety features, the Qx80 offers premium luxury amenities including but not limited to an all-leather interior, fine wood grain, and noise-insulating glass.
The Qx80 is longer than the Armada, at a total length of 210.2 inches. With a potent 400hp 5.6L V8 (the same as Armada), the Qx80 is the biggest SUV from Infiniti, which makes it a fairly prized offering.
Lincoln Continental
Known as the face of luxury in the 1970s, Lincoln Continental Mark IV blew its competitors out of the water with its looks and extravagance. It was a 228-inch luxury cruiser with a gold-plated plaque affixed on the dashboard.
Time travel to a few years later, there was Mark V - a true behemoth of a vehicle with opera windows, a crystal hood ornament, and many other items of utter grandeur. It weighed a magnificent 2.5 tons with its 7.5-liter V8 engine and is still hailed today as one of the best vintage luxury cars ever made.
Dodge Polara
Dodge cannot go unnamed on any list of the biggest cars ever made. The American automaker launched many oversized vehicles back in the day, the most noteworthy of which is the Polara.
The 19ft-long vehicle boasted a 6.2L 375hp V8 engine - which was probably why it succumbed to the fuel crises of 1973 and was discontinued. Not to be too dismayed though, since Dodge would be back to building even bigger and ambitious vehicles in no time.
Terradyne Gurkha
Terradyne is famous for enormous vehicles, and the Gurkha is no exception. This 255-inch long armored truck is so tough that it makes a Hummer look cute. Powered by a 6.7L V8 engine, this bad boy can go as fast as 110km/h on flat tires - which is unbelievably good for a giant weighing 8.8 tons!
This bulletproof vehicle has got a built-in fire suppression system, a window mesh, and countless other features to protect its occupants. The interior is fully customizable and highly luxurious, making it a great pick for people who want security with lavishness.
Cadillac Eldorado
The engineers at Cadillac have always had a thing for humongous cars - that's why you'll be seeing a lot of Cadillacs on this list. Eldorado is one of the most iconic cars offered by the American automaker.
Weighing in at about 2.5 tons and measuring at around 19 feet in length, Cadillac Eldorado had quite a presence. This land yacht came with an 8.2-liter V8 engine that surprisingly only produced 235 horsepower. It was still an immensely popular ride back in the 70s though, thanks to its stunning looks.
Ford Expedition MAX
Ford Expedition MAX is Ford's biggest SUV in the market right now. The American automaker introduced it in 2017 mainly to compete with the Chevrolet Suburban. Even though it's a foot shorter than the Excursion, the Expedition still has a massive body at 221.9 inches!
A 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6 engine enables this beast of a vehicle to hit 60 mph from a dead stop in 6.2 seconds, which is not bad considering that this thing weighs north of 5,700 pounds.
International CXT
CXT was one of the 3 mega-units from the International Extreme Truck lineup. Available only from 2004 to 2008, the goal behind this series was to create the biggest pickup trucks ever - and they did an excellent job at that!
Based on a Ford Super Duty pickup bed in the back, this 21-foot giant was a 4-wheeler with a DT466 engine. Weighing over 7 tons, the CXT could easily haul a payload capacity of 12,000 pounds and tow an unbelievable 40,000 pounds!!!
Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham
Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham was built to be a limousine - and at 19.5 feet of length and 2.5 tons of weight, it almost was one! Considered the symbol of luxury in the mid-70s in the American auto market, this car was extremely well received.
It offered features like airbags, rear reading lamps, automatic level controls, besides a powerful V8 engine. The only area where this vehicle lacked was an unusually small wheelbase that made it very difficult to maneuver.
Burlak
Next on the list is the six-wheeled Russian behemoth known as Burlak. This 23-feet tall beast has got propellers that allow it to float on water and has been used to transport researchers to remote regions at the North Pole. In short, this thing is truly invincible and no terrain is off-limits to it.
What's more, it’s even got a shower, a toilet, and a kitchen - as all these amenities can be crucial for living in extreme conditions like the North Pole. Unfortunately, the Burlak isn’t commercially available for purchase.
NASA Crawler
How do you transport massive spaceships from one place to another? Well, NASA has designed their own 'pickup' for the purpose. NASA Crawler was designed to carry spaceships from the assembly line to their launch point. Weighing 6.6 million pounds, the Crawler can transport up to 18 million pounds of payload! To put that into perspective, that's the weight of 20 fully loaded Boeing 777 airplanes.
The Crawler has transported some of the most important rockets in space exploration history, including Apollo and Saturn V. This monstrous transporter features 16 traction motors and 8 tracks on different sides. It measures a mind-boggling 131 feet and has a mighty engine producing up to 2750 horsepower. How does that compare to your ride?
Marauder
The Marauder is an armored, mine-protected vehicle produced by South Africa's Paramount Group. It is counted among the top military vehicles accessible to civilians. The manufacturer's target audience for this monstrosity includes army personnel and ultra-wealthy individuals who can set aside $523,000 on a good day to buy one of the 300 units built so far.
This 11-ton giant of a vehicle can comfortably fit 10 people inside it and can drive over any possible terrain you can think of. It’s got everything, including options for fitting high-end weapons which is, of course, not OK for civilians.
Dodge Power Wagon Replica
Manufactured all the way back in 1945, Dodge Power Wagon was initially intended only for military use. However, it was made publicly purchasable in 1946 as the first-ever 4x4 medium-duty truck accessible to civilians. Capable of towing up to 8700 pounds, Dodge Power Wagon is classified as 4-wheel, full-size pickup truck.
The name "Power Wagon" was replaced by Dodge Ram in 1981. As of now, the Power Wagon is considered a rare collectible. The gigantic truck seen here is a super-sized replica of the 1950s Dodge Power Wagon commissioned by (well, you guess it right) Sheikh Hamad. Weighing more than 50 tons, it's roughly eight times the size of the original Dodge!
Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan's Jeep
Known worldwide for his exotic 400-car collection, Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan of UAE has commissioned numerous gigantic off-roaders the world has ever seen. The Jeep seen here is one of them.
Despite its colossal size, this thing is driveable, thanks to a normal steering wheel in the front. The monster vehicle is 21 feet tall - about 400% larger than an average jeep - and is put on display in the UAE. By the way, this guy (Sheikh Hamad) owns so many gigantic vehicles that we could do an entire article on it!
Bentley Mulsanne EWB
At 230 inches (19 feet) of length, Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase is a piece of art! From electric privacy curtains to duck down seating cushions to custom bottle cooler with two bottles of champagne, you can't ask more from a $300,000 vehicle!
Despite its huge dimensions and a body weighing in at 3 tons, the Mulsanne does 0-60 in a mere 4.9 seconds. It's all thanks to a 6.75L twin-turbo V8 producing 506 horses under the hood!
Ford LTD Country Squire
The Country Squire was a highly successful car series with wooden side panels and doors. Measuring at a whopping 19 feet in length and fueled by a powerful V8, Ford LTD Country Squire could fit in almost everything, thanks to its 'secret' cargo compartment in the back.
A magnetic checkerboard and side-facing seats were also among some notable features of this car. Ford introduced eight generations of the vehicle from 1950 to 1991. However, it slowly lost its touch as the station wagons trend faded with time.
Mercedes-Benz G500
Mercedes-Benz G500 is a monstrously powerful vehicle that weighs 3.3 tons and boasts massive 36-inch tires to conquer any terrain. The vehicle has repeatedly made headlines for pulling off almost impossible feats!
The G500 features a powerful 4L twin-turbo V8 engine that's capable of providing 422 horsepower. That may not sound like a lot, but with its 17-inch ground clearance, this thing is one of the best in the market when it comes to offroad ability.
Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Available up till 2005, Cadillac Coupe de Ville was known and accepted as one of the best land yachts several decades ago. With a length of 19.5 feet or 231 inches, Coupe de Ville featured a complete vinyl roof, decorative velour interior, and 2.5 tons of swagger.
The vehicle was iconic, not only due to its small-scale features but also due to the massive power it packed. Its 8.2-liter V8 engine set a huge challenge to all competing manufacturers in the land yacht segment.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended
With an incredible length of 235.8 inches (almost 20ft), the extended-wheelbase version of Rolls-Royce Phantom is the perfect definition of luxury. It is also the longest sedan in production today! Once you're inside this bespoke lavish car, you can find each and everything one can imagine a car bearing a price tag of $625,000 to have.
The Phantom features one of the most spacious and luxurious cabins ever designed for a car! This 3-ton vehicle comes with a turbocharged 6.8L V12 that produces 563 horses at the crank - just what is required to move a vehicle of such dimensions.
Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country Station Wagon
Luxury minivans may not be the hottest topic in the car market today, but they were all the rage back in the day. And Chrysler definitely set the bar high for fancy minivans with their Town & Country.
Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country Station Wagon 1986 boasted a length of nearly 19 feet - but that wasn't what made it famous. The most interesting thing about the vehicle was its wooded doors and panels. This was a real gamechanger in the industry, as there weren’t that many vehicles around at that time with so much wood on the exterior.
Mercedes-Benz Unimog
Not a lot of vehicles on this list have as much of a rich history as the Unimog. This thing was developed during World War II as a self-propelling tree-sawing machine. It was also used for harvesting fields. Fast-forward to today, Mercedes-Benz Unimog is now used for pretty much everything, be it military purposes, as a fire truck, or even a delivery car.
With a length north of 236 inches (20ft), this 6-ton vehicle can haul virtually anything under the sun. Back in 2016, the Unimog made headlines when it pulled along a 1,000-tonne train. To put it in perspective, that's TWO MILLION POUNDS!!!!
Imperial LeBaron
At 235.3 inches, Imperial LeBaron was an incredible vehicle from Chrysler's luxury division Imperial. The LeBaron was the longest automobile ever created by Chrysler. It weighed about 2.6 tons and featured a potent 7.2-liter V8 to power all that mass.
However, just like several other land yachts of the time, the LeBaron was discontinued in 1975, courtesy of the 1973 oil embargo. In fact, the oil crisis brought Imperial itself to a tragic end in 1983, when all attempts at reviving the land yacht trend failed.
Trecol 39294
Trecol 39294 is a six-wheeled amphibious monster of a vehicle with unbelievably massive tires. It weighs almost 3 tons and has an incredible length of 223.2 inches. This all-terrain vehicle comes in two versions - freight and passenger.
The 39294 has a top speed of almost 44 mph and can fit up to 8 people in its spacious interior. Not to mention its excellent propulsion jet that allows for up to a thousand pounds of load capacity while floating on water.
Plymouth Gran Fury
Throughout the 1980s, Plymouth Gran Fury was the new sheriff in town - quite literally. This whale of a car was extensively used by the police for pursuits and detective use.
About 220 inches in length, the Gran Fury had a 5.9-liter V8 engine that soon went kaput in terms of efficiency. To hold it in high regard, it must be said that the Plymouth Gran Fury was durable and took lots of abuse with little to no complaints.
Imperial Crown
Imperial Crown boasted a maximum length of about 230 inches and the dashing Chrysler-signature design. This pretty monster carried a 7.2L V8 engine capable of generating 350 horsepower - that varied a bit for different models in between the years.
Chrysler had manufactured the Crown with flashing luxury, top-notch technology, and raw power in order to overtake Lincoln for the second-best luxury automaker in the market at the time. The first of course was Cadillac, and for good reason.
GMC Yukon Denali XL
The Yukon Denali XL was launched in 1999 when GMC rebranded its own Suburban version under the name Yukon XL. With a remarkable length of 225.2 inches and an astounding 41.5 cubic ft behind 3rd row, the vehicle is a direct competitor of GMC's other giant, the Chevy Suburban.
The Yukon Denali XL is no stranger to herculean strength, thanks to a 6.2L V8 engine producing 420 horses under the hood. Despite a weight of 3 tons, the vehicle can do the 0-60 feat in a little under 6 seconds.
Nissan Armada
Nissan Armada has got great offroad ability, a spacious interior with room for 8 people, and lots of towing power. There are numerous standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking, forward-collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, a "Rear Door Alert" that helps prevent you from leaving any precious stuff or pet in the back seat, and more!
The Armada is a respectable 208.9 inches long, and overall an economically favorable option when it comes to big cars. It features a powerful 5.6L V8 that produces 400 horses under the hood and accelerates this huge thing from rest to 60 mph in just under 6 seconds!
Clamshell Wagons
One of the most notable big-car trends of the 1970s was the clamshell design. First coined by Pontiac Grand Safari, this special style found its way into some of the most impressive station wagons offered by the notable auto brands of the time.
Clamshell wagons used a unique suspension method with multi-leaf springs instead of coil-sprung ones. They also featured a unique tailgate design, the "glide-away" tailgate, that "disappeared" when users exerted pressure to lower it.
Aton Impulse Viking 29301
Aton Impulse Viking 29301 is an excellent cross-country vehicle with lots of impressive features. It is one of the best amphibious vehicles out there, thanks to its capable water propulsion mechanism.
The Viking 29301 is a solid choice for emergency and rescue operations due to its top-tier off-road power. It has got a maximum speed of 50 mph which is not bad considering the terrains it negotiates! Even though its engine isn't that exciting, the sheer size of its wheels allows the Viking 29301 to back any of your daring adventures.
Mercury Colony Park Wagon
We have got another station wagon yet again! This time, it's Mercury Colony Park. About 219.2 inches long, this wagon is quite similar to Ford LTD Country Squire we talked about earlier.
The Colony Park came loaded with woodgrain side panels, sideways seats in 3rd row, and the glide-away tailgate design. As the vehicle progressed over the years, it got many additional features (driver-side airbag, 3-point seatbelts, rear ventilation, and more) that made it a great "big car" back in the day!
Chrysler New York Brougham
Packing a 7.2-liter V8 engine, opera windows, full-vinyl roof, a fancy grille, and many other luxurious features, Chrysler New York Brougham was in a league of its own. There was even a special stereo with a footswitch that you could use to change channels.
At 231 inches long, almost as long as the prestigious Coupe de Ville, it was perhaps one of the very few vehicles of the past that gave their equivalent Cadillac contemporaries a good run for their money.
Ford Excursion
At a length of 226.7 inches, Ford Excursion is one of the biggest SUVs in Ford's production history. Being a full-size, heavy-duty SUV, it gave a tough time to many competitors till it was discontinued in 2005.
In terms of design, Ford Excursion was inspired by the F-250 Super Duty truck. This powerhouse of a vehicle came with diesel and gasoline engine options, specifically a 6.8L V10 and a 5.4L Triton V8, both of which were equally impressive in terms of performance!
Buick Electra 225
In the 60s and 70s, car size was one of the key things to keep in mind while designing a vehicle. So much so that General Motors started putting the size in the car names themselves!
Backed by a 7.5-liter V8 engine capable of generating 370 horsepower, the longest Electra stood at about 233 inches and 2.5 tons in weight. However, since most versions hovered around 225 inches in length, the car was referred to as Buick Electra 225.
Lincoln Navigator L
Lincoln Navigator L is a top-notch 5-door luxury SUV that weighs almost 3 tons and measures an incredible 221.9 inches in length. Although it’s not as big as some of the previous mentions on this list (like Suburban and Escalade), it's still as big as Ford Expedition and F-150 and has a formidable presence when on road!
Navigator's 3.5L twin-turbo V6 spitting 450 horses, killer chrome grille, way back rear windows, ultra-spacious cabin, and scores of luxury utilities make it a solid vehicle of choice for many people. The Black Label version especially is a sight for sore eyes!
