This is a Quadro Sherp with an attached Ark module, when combined like this it forms a 10-wheel drive amphibious off-roader capable of carrying up to 19 people across almost any terrain you point it at.
The Sherp is a four-wheel drive amphibious go-anywhere vehicle that was developed in Ukraine in the early 2000s. There are now a number of models in production, as well as the Ark module you see attached to the one above, which turns it into a serious people mover.
Fast Facts: The Quadro Sherp Ark
- The Quadro Sherp with its attached Ark module is a 10-wheel-drive amphibious off-roader built to travel across land, water, snow, mud, and ice while carrying up to 19 people. It began as a Ukrainian-developed extreme-terrain vehicle based on early concepts by inventor Alexei Garagashyan.
- Sherp’s core design uses a galvanized steel platform chassis and an aluminum-alloy body that forms a watertight hull, allowing it to float and travel over soft terrain. Key features include giant low-pressure tires, bead-lock wheels, onboard tire inflation adjustment, front and rear access doors, and a roof escape hatch.
- Powertrain details vary by model but can include 1.5 liter Kubota turbodiesel units or 2.4 liter Doosan D24 turbodiesel engines at 74 bhp and 236 lb ft, the latter engine offers a claimed top speed of 18.6 mph.
- Sherps are specialist utility vehicles rather than everyday transport of course, with reported use in media appearances and humanitarian work by the United Nations and World Food Programme in Africa. The Texas-based example shown here received major refurbishment work, though its Ark module reportedly does not currently seal properly for water use.
History Speedrun: The Quadro Sherp
The first designs of the vehicle that would become the Sherp were laid out by inventor Alexei Garagashyan back in the early 2000s. This design was then developed over the course of a few years by a team of engineers and fabricators in Ukraine, before the final production version was ready for orders in 2015.
Above Video: This video gives a good look into the Sherp and its remarkable off-road abilities.
The fundamental design of the Sherp has remained much the same over the intervening years, though more recent examples are larger, more powerful, and have a higher load rating than their early forebears.
The core Sherp architecture uses a galvanized steel platform-type chassis with an aluminum alloy body, this structure forms a water-tight hull that allows the vehicle to float on water, and to glide across deep snow and mud.
Different versions of the Sherp have been fitted with different engines. The example you see in this article is a Quadro Sherp Pro from 2018, it’s powered by a Kubota 1.5 liter turbodiesel inline-four cylinder engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Power is then transmitted to all four wheels via a four-wheel chain-drive system.
The vehicle is fitted with 25″ bead-lock wheels and 63″ low-pressure tires with a paddle-like tread for traversing water and soft terrain. These tires are all linked to a central inflation system that can increase or decrease tire pressure on the go.
You enter and exit the Sherp through front and rear access doors, due to the large tires the vehicle doesn’t have traditional side doors. It also has an emergency roof escape hatch for getting out if you happen to get yourself stuck.
Due to the layout of the cab a reverse-view camera is fitted to allow safe reversing when needed, there’s also a towing hitch on the back, and a full roll cage is fitted just in case you happen to flip it over.
Over the last few years we’ve seen Sherps appearing on a number of TV shows including Jay Leno’s Garage (with Kevin Hart), the Diesel Brothers TV show, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and in Kanye West’s music videos for Follow God and Closed on Sunday.
This is a Quadro Sherp with an attached Ark module, when combined like this it forms a 10-wheel drive amphibious off-roader capable of carrying up to 19 people across almost any terrain you point it at.
Sherps are a specialist tool of course, they’re not designed for the daily commute to the office or for a quick jaunt down to Starbucks, but for people who need to cross otherwise uncrossable terrain, and the Sherp is a lot more affordable than a helicopter.
The Sherp And The United Nations
The United Nations and the World Food Program have both been experimenting with the use of 15 Sherp ATVs, most recently in war torn regions in Africa like South Sudan where the UN has been using the vehicles for aid delivery and peacekeeping missions.
The fact that the Sherps can operate over exceedingly rough terrain including cross-country where there are no roads and across rivers where there are no bridges while carrying up to 1.2 metric tons (2,646 lbs) of goods or equipment makes them uniquely well-suited to the role.
As of 2022 the UN was evaluating their Sherps in the field with a view to buying more and developing the needed infrastructure to deploy them to war torn regions and disaster zones rapidly when required.
The Quadro Sherp Ark Shown Here
The Quadro Sherp you see here with its Ark module is a 10-wheel drive amphibious vehicle able to cross land, water, snow, mud, ice, and just about anything else you’re likely to encounter. This whole unit was given a comprehensive refurbishment in 2023 that cost over $45,000 USD.
The refurbishment work included replacing the transfer case output flange, resealing the transmission flange to the body, and changing the differential, transfer case, and transmission fluids. The engine mount was also repaired, the trailer exhaust actuator valve and vacuum pump were replaced, and the engine frame is said to have been reinforced in January of 2025.
The 2.4 liter Doosan D24 turbodiesel inline-four was factory rated at 74 bhp and 236 lb ft of torque, and it gives the vehicle a top speed is 18.6 mph. It has 23″ of ground clearance and the ability to climb or descend a 40º grade. It also has a central tire inflation system and 15 gallon auxiliary fuel containers in each wheel’s center.
The 2.4 liter Doosan D24 turbodiesel inline-four was factory rated at 74 bhp and 236 lb ft of torque, and it gives the vehicle a top speed is 18.6 mph. It has 23″ of ground clearance and the ability to climb or descend a 40º grade. It also has a central tire inflation system and 15 gallon auxiliary fuel containers in each wheel’s center.
This Quadro Sherp Ark is now being offered for sale out of Montgomery, Texas with service records and a bill of sale. It’s worth noting that the seller says the Ark module doesn’t currently seal properly, and it shouldn’t be taken out onto the water until this is attended to.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
