Mini Monster Muscle

Pound the dunes, scale a mountain or dig your way through the Outback. There's a new breed of monster out there. Fournier's Performance Automotive of Orlando, Florida, has created the All Terrain Monsters (ATM), which are taking the company's home state by storm. Fournier, a division of Georgia ATM (builder of the ATM), can customize the machines, which can be set up for street-legal touring or off-road adventure. Standard features include a Honda 1.6-liter, single-overhead-cam engine; full-time four-wheel-drive; rugged, 1 1/2-inch-diameter, TIG-welded, premium powdercoated tube construction; dual coil over shocks with nitrogen reservoirs; and 35-inch all-terrain tires. Bad boys such as these supply the muscle necessary for work, play or just getting where you need to go.

Since January 2004, the teams at Fournier and Georgia ATM have attended more than 20 Monster Nationals and four-wheel jamborees, and dozens of Speedway events nationwide. I caught up with owner Bob Fournier at USA Speedway during a closed-session demo with the Extreme Stunt and Drive Team. For the event, Fournier and his Single Seat Recreational Vehicle (SSRV) showed off 360-degree spins, ramp jumps and demonstrations of agile road handling.

Specs on the SSRV include wishbone four-link suspension, shocks with 12 inches of travel, shock limit straps for added safety and four-wheel disc brakes. The ATM can be built with either a Ford or a Chevy body and provides a Honda transaxle direct to differentials, plus Currie Enterprises' 9-inch, Ford-style axles front and rear; a 4:11 gear ratio; urethane-cushion engine mounts; a radiator with a cooling fan; a transmission oil cooler; an exhaust header and muffler; a reusable Green High Performance air filter; an electromotive programmable fuel-injection system; and a Moroso High Performance Ignition Wire Set.

Additional features include an 8-gallon fuel tank, nonslip side-step rails for ease of entry, headlights and taillights, a dual roll bar and halo safety cage, padded competition seats, ceramic-coated headers, a USFS-qualified spark arrestor/muffler, a keyed ignition switch, Lawson bolts and more than five standard colors, and dozens of custom ones. Options include gun racks, a dog box, a trailer hitch, sprayers, mowers, spreaders, custom paint, custom bodies, bed liners and floors and a Herculiner.

Info: Georgia All Terrain Monsters: 800/710-2411; www.ga-atm.com Fournier's Performance Automotive: 407/898-8002