December 15, 2015 – When you take a first look at David Frem’s latest creation, you’ll start to understand why he called it the Immortal; it’s a mean-looking mass of steel that can have just about any obstacle for breakfast, except that it can’t, at least not yet.
Frem, an aspiring young Lebanese petrolhead, previously managed to fully execute two of his projects, Frem F1 and Frem Beirut Edition sports cars, both of which are quite famous in the Lebanese automotive scene, especially the latter. However, the Immortal is unlike the aforementioned two: it’s a tactical vehicle, similar to a Humvee, but it’s also very different to a Humvee – it’s a lot more in-your-face.
We sure would’ve loved to test the Frem Immortal on some rough Lebanese terrain, but there’s one small problem: the Frem Immortal is on life support as it sits in a dark garage at the bottom of a beautiful house near Baabdat, without an engine, without a transmission and lacking many other essential parts; only the chassis and frame have been somewhat completed.
The main issue? Funding, lack of it; David had no major problems developing Frem F1 and the newer Frem Beirut Edition, but it’s been a roller coaster ride with the Immortal, with plenty of work left to be done.
Immortal’s chassis is taken from a Jeep Wrangler, while its frame was designed and built by David himself – both of which weigh less than a ton, but with the General Motors’ V8 LSX engine installed, which produces 450 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque, Immortal’s weight should surpass the 2-ton barrier.
As might be expected, the Frem Immortal will be pushed by its four massive wheels, via a GM transmission that will be positioned underneath the frame that is around 2 meters wide and more than 3 meters long; the Lebanese tactical vehicle will be supported by Dana suspension components.
It is disheartening to see an ambitious and unique idea such as Frem Immortal not come to life, but David is determined to finish what he started and he hasn’t given up on it; the Frem Immortal will roll out of that gloomy garage one day, and it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.
Frem isn’t sitting still, nonetheless, as he’s working – in parallel – on a completely different project that’s unlike anything he’s ever done before, and he’s keeping things a secret, but we’ll give you a hint: kit car.
