This is the Apocalypse Nirvana, essentially a heavily modified and re-skinned Rivian R1T with some very distinctive design choices. However, there’s more to it than meets the eye to this custom build that’s available for $159,990 with less than 300 miles on the odo. Here’s a quick look at what the Nirvana has going for it and we’ll let you decide whether it’s a bold automotive statement or an overt display of compensation.
According to Florida-based custom shop SoFloCustoms, this custom Rivian features the “looks of a doomsday machine and the light and quick handling of a sports car.” No doubt, the team certainly made this look a lot more like something from a movie or a video game than a real-life production car.
It’s so angular and disjointed that it almost appears as though Apocalypse followed the advice of an AI rendering website. Additionally, the body features a full Kevlar paint job, claimed by the company to not only give it a rugged appearance but also provide protection against scratches, rust, and corrosion, all while supposedly remaining easy to clean.
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Photos SoFloJeeps
Apocalypse says that it took the team some nine months to complete the project. The truck is equipped with 38”x15.5” tires mounted on 20”x12” SFJ bronze wheels, a handcrafted roll cage, sidesteps, front and rear skid plates designed to provide protection against various off-road terrains. It also gets a massive 52-inch light bar on the roof. In terms of specifications, the Nirvana boasts a height of 81 inches, a width of 91 inches, and an overall length of 214 inches.
Notably, the customization shop made significant modifications to the vehicle’s suspension to incorporate a genuine lift kit. While it doesn’t specify the exact height of the lift, it did mention that the truck is equipped with a “dynamic computer-controlled suspension, custom-built from the ground up.”
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Speaking to TheDrive, Joe Ghattas, the man behind Apocalypse and its sister company SoFloCustoms, explained that the team had to fabricate various suspension parts to lift the truck. However, during the process, they accidentally triggered “a full set of airbags” due to a lack of understanding about how to lift the truck without setting them off.
“Plainly stated, people have opinions when it comes to electric vehicles, so I had my apprehensions about Apocalypse tackling a project of this derision, but I honestly fell in love with this vehicle from the first time I sat behind the steering wheel,” said Ghattas. “Why do EV vehicles have to look sterile or bland, stripped of their masculinity? This is a badass truck, it’s time it looks and acts like one,” he added.
Granted, this is already a very capable truck when it rolls off of the line at Rivian. The model that serves as the basis for the Apocalypse comes with a motor for each wheel and a total of 835 hp (622 kW). However, Apocalypse claims that the specific build has 850 hp. In any case, it’s capable of rocketing from zero to 60 mph in just three seconds and thanks to that trick suspension it corners great too.
Perhaps this really is a breakthrough EV with the correct amount of macho attitude. It is, after all, okay to drive whatever sort of vehicle one wants to. To me though, it looks like someone who rolled up to a car show in a Bugatti Chiron with a bunch of bling from Autozone glued to the body panels but sincerely doesn’t get the irony.