Every once in a while we run across a sand toy that is so unique, so vastly different than anything we've seen before, that we know right off the bat it belongs in the magazine. Such was the case with the buggy you see here, assembled by Ed Landry, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. At first glance you might think the only unique part of this car is the hand-formed carbon fiber body. But there's much more to it once we delve into the fine details.

     This project started with a four-seat, rear-engine chromoly chassis from Dan's Off-Road, in Hemlock, Michigan. But Ed, with a background in building concept cars for the big American auto makers, had a few "concepts" in mind for this buggy as well. How about two snowmobile engines, one powering each rear wheel? Or the fact that there's an onboard power-proportioning system for each engine/wheel depending on steering wheel angle? There's an on-board computer, dual custom made digital tachometers - not your average off-the-shelf buggy items.

     Looking at the basic chassis and suspension, it features a 119-inch wheelbase, with A-arm style front suspension and custom trailing arm rear suspension. The front arms were built by Dan's Off-Road, utilizing 1-1/4 inch chromoly tubing. Wright Combo spindles, urethane bushings at the inner pivots and King 2-inch coil-over shocks with an 8-inch stroke and dual-rate springs. This combination provides 17 inches of front wheel travel. Front rolling stock are Mickey Thompson off-road tires mounted to 15x5.25 CMS aluminum wheels. CNC front disc brakes ensure plenty of stopping power.

     Out back the suspension is unlike anything we've seen before. Actually, the concept is the same as a standard trailing arm suspension, but the execution is quite unique due to the one-off drive system.