This is the Rhino Off-Road Industries RTV XT1, it’s a purpose-built production buggy capable going almost anywhere you point it.
Power is provided by a Honda 2.0 liter inline-four and routed to all four wheels via an automatic transmission and a dual-range transfer case. The live axles, multi-link long travel suspension, and 37″ tires make the RTV almost unstoppable.
The Rhino RTV was powered by a Honda B20B 2.0 liter inline-four, an engine that is perhaps better known for its use in late-1990s Honda CR-Vs. This gave the Rhino a reliable and relatively inexpensive powerplant with excellent aftermarket support.
History Speedrun: The Rhino Off-Road Industries RTV
When Rhino Off-Road Industries introduced the RTV (Rough Terrain Vehicle) in the early 2000s, it was aiming to create a new genre between the slow but unstoppable rock crawler, and the much higher speed desert buggy. The result was a tube-framed, mid-engined four-wheeler designed to clamber over boulders, bomb across dunes at speed, and survive punishment that would cripple a conventional ATV or side-by-side.
Rhino Off-Road Industries was founded in Henderson, Nevada – a state famed for its incredible off-road terrain. Instead of adapting a normal production ATV, they started with a clean slate design inspired by both off-road racing trucks and conventional rock crawlers.
The design emphasis was on versatility – they wanted to develop a machine that was light enough to be thrown around trails yet strong enough to take hard landings and withstand vertical climbs. Early press coverage from the likes of RockCrawler and Cars & Racing Stuff described it as a new vehicle category, with safety, versatility, and performance balanced in ways that traditional off-road ATVs simply couldn’t match.
The Rhino RTV was powered by a Honda B20B 2.0 liter inline-four, an engine that is perhaps better known for its use in late-1990s Honda CR-Vs. This gave the Rhino a reliable and relatively inexpensive powerplant with excellent aftermarket support.
Output was modest by most standards – 126 bhp in stock form – but the lightweight tubular frame and long-travel suspension of the buggy made full use of every pony. A 4-speed automatic handled shifting duties, and a dual-range transfer case provided solid low-speed crawling ability.
Rhino Off-Road Industries was founded in Henderson, Nevada – a state famed for its incredible off-road terrain. Instead of adapting a normal production ATV, they started with a clean slate design inspired by both off-road racing trucks and conventional rock crawlers.
Suspension consisted of a multi-link setup with long-travel shock absorbers, combined with 37 inch tires and heavy duty axles, the Rhino could articulate over rocks, absorb big hits, and maintain traction on extremely uneven surfaces. Hydraulic disc brakes on all four corners delivered dependable stopping power, while the fully caged cockpit offered protection comparable to top flight competition vehicles.
Rhino promoted the RTV both as a recreational toy, and as a potentially lifesaving vehicle – versions were adapted for police, border patrol, and search-and-rescue work, with optional equipment like stretchers, utility racks, and winches. The vehicle’s small footprint allowed it to reach places where trucks or Jeeps struggled, while its roll cage and harness system provided more safety than an ATV or dirt bike.
When it was launched in the mid-2000s, pricing was set around $19,500 to $24,000 depending on options – that placed it above mainstream ATVs and UTVs but below full-blown race buggies or sand rails. The Rhino wasn’t built in huge numbers, and it appealed mainly to enthusiasts who wanted something different – an off-road machine with a difference.
Although Rhino Off-Road Industries eventually faded from the market, possibly due to the financial collapse caused by the Great Recession of 2008/2009, the RTV maintains a loyal following today.
Owners love its toughness, its Honda reliability, and its ability to straddle multiple off-road disciplines. In many ways, it anticipated the explosive popularity of today’s high-performance side-by-sides, but with a more hardcore, purpose-built ethos.
The Rhino Off-Road Industries RTV Shown Here
The Rhino Off-Road Industries RTV you see here is a 2004 model that is now showing just 88 hours or run time. As you would expect it’s powered by a 2.0 liter Honda inline-four mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission, with a dual range transfer case, and live front and rear axles on a multi-link suspension arrangement.
The Rhino Off-Road Industries RTV you see here is a 2004 model that is now showing just 88 hours or run time.
It also has four wheel disc brakes, LED lighting, a Corbeau seat, and a Racerdirect multi-point harnesses, a fire extinguisher, a Rotopax fuel container, and dual side-view mirrors.
It’s now being offered for sale out of South Elgin, Illinois at no reserve with an Illinois title. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
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.
