Volkswagen's Beastly Pickup Breaks Off-Roading Record on the Way to the Olympics

Volkswagen built three beastly, souped-up versions of their Amarok pickup to promote the 2014 Winter Olympics in more rural areas of Russia. Along the way, they busted through the world record for the longest off-road trek in a single country.

Two in the trio of Volkswagen Amarok pickups trek through the brush along the Russian landscape. (Volkswagen).

The Amarok -- which means 'arctic wolf' in the Inuit languages -- is an appropriate name for these automobiles, that look more like monster trucks than road-worthy vehicles.

The Volkswagen team set a new Guinness World Record with the outrageous trucks by traveling 16,000 kilometers (just under 10,000 miles) over 60 days between the Russian capitol of Moscow and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - one of the worlds largest cities that sits on the Bering Sea and has no road leading into it, Wired reported.

According to Wired, the nine-man team traveled across a huge variety of terrain, including Lake Baikal, where they slipped their way over three-foot thick ice, and Iultin Pass, where the crew — despite the amazing off-roading abilities of the suped-up trucks — still managed to get stuck in the incredibly deep Russian snow.

According to Interbrand.com, "Amarok" means "arctic wolf" in the Inuit language, and the animal is considered, by the Eskimos of Northern Canada and Greenland, to be the king of the wild.

The specially-made trucks were equipped with "an array of GPS and navigation equipment essential for the backcountry trip across Siberia, along with enormous off-road tires and heavy-duty shocks, additional exterior lighting and storage, a roll cage, and more," Wired reported. But the greasy bits were left alone, including the Amarok’s stock 2.0-liter diesel engine and 4Motion all-wheel drive.

This photo shows just how high the Amarok body sits off the ground due to the fat tires and heavy-duty shocks. (Volkswagen).

The Amarok Expedition Trek covered nearly two-thirds of the frozen country (Volkswagen). 

Sadly, the Olympic version of the Amarok won't be mass-produced for sale, and U.S. readers can't even get their hands on the standard version of the Amarok as it isn't sold in America.

Volkswagen Group is a German-owned, multinational car company and is the second largest automotive revenue company in the world. The company provided more than 3,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Škoda vehicles to the Sochi 2014 organizing committee, in addition to the specially built pickups.

Check out their trek video here:

(H/T: Wired)

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