Custom E-Series Cutaway is an Overlander’s Dream Rig

Sportsmobile Classic 4X4 is an E-Series with gear for living off of the grid, including four-wheel drive, a kitchen, and two bedrooms.

It’s amazing what you can do with a vehicle when half of it is a blank canvas. That’s how it is with the Ford E-Series Cutaway. You can order it with single or dual rear wheels and top the back end with the shell for a shuttle bus, school bus, ambulance, or motorhome. In this video from the YouTube channel We’re the Russos, host Joe Russo shows how the Sportsmobile company turned an E-Series into a home-away-from-home for overlanding enthusiasts.

Sportsmobile based its Classic 4X4 model on an E-350 with single rear wheels and a 6.8-liter Triton V10 with 305 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. That’s mated to a six-speed automatic. That combination of hardware gives the Classic 4X4 a Gross Vehicular Weight Rating of more than 10,000 pounds.

To make sure the Classic 4X4 can get to remote destinations, Sportsmobile equipped it with larger front knuckles and hubs, upgraded front and rear axles, a quick-disconnect front sway bar, and Fox shocks. According to Russo, his particular test vehicle also has optional ARB locking differentials. The four-wheel drive system itself is versatile. It offers 4HI, 4LO, 2HI, 2LO, and even front-wheel drive. Russo says, “If something has happened to your axle or you need to get around an obstacle, you can actually put the rear-wheel drive in neutral and put the front in low so now you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle … to get around obstacles or to limp off the trail and get you to where you need to go.”

Up front, there’s a heavy duty bumper with a hitch receiver and a winch for worst-case scenarios. An LED light bar on top of the cab is there to illuminate trails during nighttime excursions.

Out back, there’s a swing-out spare tire carrier and a utility storage compartment, as well as a small space for gear hidden on top of the bumper. The rear double doors open to reveal the lower bed and plenty of storage options. There’s a closet space next to the bed and a large space underneath it. There’s even a nook in one of the doors where Russo keeps the hose for the outdoor shower and the onboard air compressor.

The Classic 4X4 uses a pair of swing-out side doors instead of a sliding door. That provides additional storage options, as well as surfaces that can be used as tables.

Despite the galley’s compact dimensions, Sportsmobile was able to fit a sink that draws water from a 20-gallon fresh water tank, microwave, mini fridge, countertops, and plenty of storage areas into it. A lithium battery pack, 2,000-watt inverter, and 200-watt solar panel array on the roof provide power for a variety of systems, USB ports, 12-volt plugs, and appliances, including Russo’s coffee grinder, pressure cooker, and 1,000-watt electric tea kettle. He says, “With the way [my wife] Kait and I have been camping and working out of this thing, the battery and solar system have had no problem keeping up.”

Right next to the galley is a bench seat that Russo quickly unfolds into the lower bed. An additional sleeping area is right above that in the pop-up section. Russo pushes an upper panel into position, lowers another one, and pushes the two together to set it up. Russo is 5’11” and is able to lay down comfortably in it, although he doesn’t have enough headroom to sit up. The tradeoff is that “the views and the ventilation up here are amazing.”

Given that the Sportsmobile Classic 4X4 is essentially a (tiny) house on wheels, its price shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Prices for the most extreme E-Series start at $160,000. Russo’s media loaner has a sticker price of $185,000.

Join the F-150 Online.com forums now!

Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Derek also contributes to other outlets. He started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to get even more automotive content out to fellow enthusiasts.

He can be reached at autoeditors@internetbrands.com.

Twitter