The Rhino: Experimental Off-Road Vehicle from 1954

Humans have built all kinds of strange vehicles, whether to explore a hypothesis or with the idea of revolutionizing cargo and passenger transport. Some developments saw fairly widespread use, and others ended up abandoned out in the open. One of those prototypes was The Rhino, an off-road vehicle designed by inventor Elie Aghnides and built in 1954. With two giant wheels up front, The Rhino aimed to combine the stability of heavy vehicles with the speed of a traditional car.

An Idea Born in Central Park

In the 1940s, Greek-American inventor Elie Aghnides watched a tractor working in New York City’s famous Central Park, and it was at that moment he had the idea of combining the ruggedness and stability of a bulldozer with the speed of a normal car, giving rise to a new kind of off-road vehicle. Several years later, that original idea became the concept “The Rhino”.

Giant Wheels, Amphibious Capability

Obviously, the first thing to highlight about The Rhino is the gigantic pair of wheels up front. Each one was 1.8 meters in diameter and weighed 680 kilograms. The only contact point for asphalt roads was the thin zigzag rubber band, and on that surface The Rhino could reach a maximum speed of 72 kilometers per hour, powered by a 110-horsepower engine. The wheels were also hollow, which allowed it to float on water, while a hydrojet system handled propulsion, reaching a top speed of 5 kilometers per hour.

Heavy but Agile

In total, The Rhino weighed five tons (the entire body was made of aluminum and steel), but it moved with relative ease through mud, sand, and various bodies of water. Furthermore, its center of gravity was extremely low, so it could lean an impressive 74 degrees without tipping over. The construction process was handled by Marmon-Harrington, which delivered a single prototype in 1954.

A Military Future That Never Came

The ultimate goal for The Rhino was to become a military vehicle, patrolling the Alaska region and the Canadian border, which is covered by extremely harsh and complex terrain. However, the army decided not to order units because they believed the rear wheels (which had an inflatable element) were too exposed to bullets. I imagine that with a bit of additional refinement, that detail could have been fixed...

Source: Rare Historical Photos