--- title: "There’s Something Really Strange in Assad’s Car Collection Abandoned in Syria" date: "2024-12-09" modified: "2024-12-09" authors: - name: "Caleb Jacobs" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/caleb-jacobs" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/overthrown-syrian-dictator-was-hoarding-this-90s-six-wheeled-ford-rv-for-some-reason" categories: - "News" - "Trucks" - "Watch This" --- # There’s Something Really Strange in Assad’s Car Collection Abandoned in Syria ![]() *\Via Reddit / Facebook Marketplace\* You might have heard about what's going on in Syria by now. Rebels overtook the capital city of Damascus and the nation's dictator Bashar al-Assad fled, leaving some of his many riches behind. That includes his car collection, which features exotics like a Ferrari F50—though that's nothing surprising. What I'd argue *is* surprising is [the '90s Revcon Trailblazer]() tucked away in the corner, which is essentially a six-wheeled Ford F-350 motorhome. What's a guy like that got to do with a rig like this? Of course, we've seen before that bigger is better in Middle Eastern car culture. There's [a 21-foot-tall Hummer H1]() that lives in the United Arab Emirates. But this blue-collar adventure rig isn't that. My coworker Bev touched on it in [her story]() recapping Assad's broader collection but allow me to chase this rabbit for just a minute. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The six-wheeled Trailblazer was essentially an [EarthRoamer]() bug-out vehicle before that kind of thing existed. It was extreme in style and price, boasting a $180,000 starting MSRP in 1993 as the "world's only all-terrain motorcoach." While every well-to-do Tom, Dick, and Harry wants a built overlanding machine these days, that wasn't the case when the Trailblazer came out. It seems only 67 were ever built, and a few survivors have popped up for sale in recent years. [I wrote about one this summer that was listed for $125,000](), though [others before it]() were offered up for around $45,000. Every Trailblazer I've seen is powered by a 460-cubic-inch gas V8 with an automatic transmission. Importantly, they aren't true 6x6s—two of the wheels ride on a tag axle with no driveline connected. It surely needs that tag axle to manage the massive weight as these suckers are 30 feet long, 10 feet 6 inches tall, and 8 feet wide. https://www.reddit.com/r/lebanon/comments/1h9g24a/assads_car_collection_f50_diablo_lm002_sl_65_bs/?utm_source=embedv2&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_content=whitespace&embed_host_url=https://www.thedrive.com/news/syrian-dictator-bashar-al-assads-abandoned-car-collection-found-with-ferrari-f50-sl65-black-series So knowing all that about the old-body-style Ford motorhome, it begs the question: What is the Syrian dictator doing with one? Unlike [the Sultan of Brunei's recently leaked collection](), most in Assad's dusty warehouse seem to be roadworthy. We only get a brief glimpse of the Trailblazer so it's hard to say what condition it's in, but I have a hard time picturing him hitting the desert in one of these. I can only assume he bought it just to say he did. In case you hadn't noticed, that's a running theme among people like him. *Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com* ## Author Caleb Jacobs is The Drive’s senior editor. When he’s not searching for stories or poring over copy, he’s usually driving his dump truck or wishing it was running so he could drive it. He was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks, and he lives there today with his family. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]() [Instagram]() [Twitter]()