Custom-built expedition vehicles designed to reflect the owner’s travel ambitions without breaking the bank.
I interviewed Twiga Travel Car’s sales manager, Geert van den Broeck, himself an experienced overlander having lived in his 30-year-old MB-1017 for four years during his travels.
Since its foundation in 2005, Twiga has produced more than 100 vehicles for a group of individuals the company refers to as friends as opposed to customers. An endearment with good reason: Twiga opens its arms to all travellers and has created the Twiga Travellers Network, a place where people can pose their questions and call upon the experience of other like-minded adventurers. But that’s a topic for another day.
Twiga Travel Cars is based in Ooij, which is six kilometres northeast of Nijmegen in the Netherlands.
What sets Twiga apart from the growing population of expedition vehicle builders?
In three words: travellers are individualists.
We respect that and invest a lot of time in getting to know them and their goals. Despite their adventurous ambitions, all overlanders look for the balance between the cost of their vehicle and their overall travel budget—and this is where we excel. At Twiga, we don’t build vehicles in series. Instead, we sit down with a blank piece of paper and listen carefully to the criteria which will ultimately define a unique, purpose-built vehicle. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about a luxurious truck with high-end equipment or a no-nonsense spartanly accessorised winner.
The client’s budget is our starting point. We work equally well with brand new vehicles as we do with pre-owned ones, and we will step in to assist during the process of sourcing and purchasing the best solution.
From a production point of view, our planning and construction strategy ensures our budgets are super sharp and the quality of our end products is considered to be among Europe’s best.
Creating individual vehicles requires a team of people who can compliment one another and their skills. Tell me a little about your crew and how many vehicles you produce.
When we started, there were just two of us full-time. Today, we have a passionate team of ten including industrial engineers, a specialised welder, electronic technicians, and fitters. Because each process is structured according to the experience we have acquired over time, we are able to work on several vehicles at a time and can complete between eight and ten per year.
Taking the client’s requirements into consideration, we can produce a bare cabin on our famous sub-frame fitted with windows, doors and hatches within six to eight weeks. A large adventure-ready vehicle fully equipped with electronics and every other luxury you can think of will take around nine months to complete.
The biggest challenge with any vehicle is determining the perfect layout. Beginning with a sketch, we create a comprehensive 3D drawing before again listening, discussing and adjusting for as long as it takes until the client is 100% comfortable with the concept.
Which vehicle categories do you cater for?
We can break this down into four main categories:
Small 4x4s, which include Jeeps, Land Rovers and Toyotas. The most important detail to consider here is weight. Look at most travel-ready vehicles in this category when they’re packed with luggage and you’ll find that they are above the legal weight. Twiga has developed a cabin which weighs less than 160 kg (including windows but without the interior). We’re seeing more and more requests for lifting tops in different configurations: hinged, full lift, manual, or automated.
Vans We love them and have already converted several 4×4 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters into capable expedition vehicles. If the headroom isn’t sufficient, we can adjust it. We have even converted one for a disabled driver with a lift to enter and exit by. In our minds, Sprinters make ideal expedition vehicles…it just takes a bit of imagination and there is plenty of that at Twiga.
Trucks up to 7.49 tons This is an important category in the Netherlands and a number of other countries too. At Twiga, we can produce a cabin, fully fitted with all furnishings, electronics, and a bathroom below 7,500 kg. Obviously, the weight of the base vehicle has a huge impact on what’s possible, but that’s why we’re here.
Trucks above 7.5 tons The sky’s the limit. You want to take a quad or a motorbike with you? No problem. You’d rather have 6×6 instead of 4×4, we can show you several options. The bulk of the trucks in this category are from either MAN or Mercedes-Benz due to the global spare parts availability, but we have also built on Scania, Unimog, and even the occasional IVECO.
If you consider the different vehicle categories, why do you think Twiga has become a strong contender amongst the expedition vehicle manufacturers?
We have learned a great deal over the years and have more than 100 vehicles that prove our concept works. However, there are two features that we believe make us stand out.
Firstly, as with every house, the foundation must be solid. We have our own patented sub-frame. For the less experience traveller, it can be hard to imagine the stress the vehicle has to cope with on a serious off-road trip. Our subframe is rally proven and can cope with wheel travel of up to 70 cm (depending on the vehicle) without any torsion. Essentially, this means the cabin remains straight and intact. We also integrate the subframe into the floor of the cabin to minimise the overall height of the vehicle.
Secondly, our panels are unique and specially developed for Twiga. Our range starts with an exceptionally light 30 mm honeycomb structure and ends with super-insulated 60 mm panels which can withstand any weather conditions.
Can you guide me through some of the key components you integrate into your cabins?
One of the hottest topics in the Internet forums is windows, doors and hatches. We’ve seen and tried enough to say that our concept includes two manufacturers: Dometic for the lightweight vehicles and Outbound when weight isn’t so critical.
Another important detail are the entry steps. We have a wide range which include platforms, with or without ground contact and with or without a handrail. If the customer needs something different, we’ll figure it out. It gets our creative juices flowing.
Ultimately though, Twiga prides itself on our innovations which are often the result of a client not accepting “no” as an answer. We communicate our innovations internally every quarter and are astounded by the numbers. Twiga is built upon individuality and versatility is our expertise.
The Netherlands have always been known for international trade. Do you service customers abroad as well?
It’s true that most of our customers are from the Netherlands, but Germany and Switzerland are close behind. Recently, we have met new clients from France and Italy and have even shipped to markets as distant as the US, Israel, and Africa.
