Lambo Blogging: Ram 1500 Rebel OTG Concept for SEMA Is an Epic Overland Rig

What is an overland expedition? Can “overlanding” be a proper verb form? “Unlike traditional ‘four-wheeling,’ in overlanding the journey is the final objective,” Joe Dehner says in answer to both questions. The chief of Ram truck and Mopar design adds, “The goal is to explore rather than conquer obstacles.”

The Ram 1500 Rebel OTG concept is a sort of mashup of Mopar and REI catalogs, paying homage to the special brand of off-roading pioneered in Australia. The OTG—for “off the grid”—is a Rebel-spec truck powered by a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 that drinks from a 33-gallon tank for long-distance travel. A high-end Dometic refrigerator/freezer in the bed is powered by rooftop solar panels via a separate 12-volt battery, and there’s also a Dometic gas stove and sink in the OTG’s bed that can be pulled out past the 60/40-split tailgate.

The Ram pickup itself gets a Mopar concept two-inch lift kit, 35-inch Goodyear tires on beadlock wheels, a concept front bumper with integrated winch, a larger grille with flow-through R-A-M badging, and a functional snorkel air intake. There are front and rear wheel flares and step-assist rock rails for rough terrain, as well as a concept rear bumper adapted from that of the Ram 1500 Tradesman, which relocates the exhaust for a better departure angle. Off-road driving lights and supplemental backup lamps are lit via LEDs, and there’s task lighting attached to the rear rack system for camping at night.

A bed rack system with traction mats and a high-lift jack is mounted on top of the truck bed and carries a collapsible rooftop tent with stowable ladder. The truck has a rock-rail assist, the Ram Tradesman’s molded-vinyl floor in place of the factory carpeting, a Yakima roof rack and basket, special graphics (note the hood, and a concept air intake with airbox.