Russian Afghanistan War vet fulfills childhood dream by building all-terrain vehicle using parts from 12 different cars (VIDEO)

A 50-year-old veteran from Russia’s Kursk Region has built his own amphibious all-terrain vehicle by taking parts from twelve different domestically made cars, including a Lada Niva and 1980s hatchback Moskvich 2141.

After losing his leg in Afghanistan, Yury Sukhorukov has struggled to move around. This has been exacerbated by the poor roads in his small village. In particular, the difficulty of getting to the nearby river inspired him to make his own vehicle, which he spent four and a half months building.

Sukhorukov is from Guyevo, a settlement within walking distance of the country’s border with Ukraine.

His new invention easily drives through mud and swamps, and can reach up to 40 kilometers per hour.

“I had to think of something to make it easier to get to the river,” Sukhorukov, an avid fisherman, explained. “At first, I thought of making a small cross-country vehicle to just drive to the river and return home. Then I thought, no. I decided to make a two-man car. I have a spouse, a son. What if they want to go for a ride?”

The vehicle was made up of non-working parts collected from scrap yards, such as a rear axle from a Zhiguli. Other parts, such as the caterpillar tread around the wheels, were made from scratch.

Despite costing just 100,000 rubles ($1,300) to build, the Sukhorukov family has already received an offer of over 600,000 rubles ($7,800) to buy the off-road car. However, they are in no mood to sell. In fact, the vehicle has made them famous in the local community.

“As per our plan, this is not the final result,” said Evgeny Zorin, Sukhorukov’s nephew. “We will make a hatch that can open. We were also thinking about a panoramic roof.”

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