Built by: American Expedition Vehicles/Chrysler Group Skunkwerks
Found at: Mopar Alley booth
Wildest mod: We're digging the custom 4 1/2-inch-lift suspension, which was created by American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) and Superlift Suspension. It utilizes custom springs, knuckles, control arms and bracketry, and uses Bilstein shocks in the rear and OE struts in front. This kit allows fitment of 305/70R17 Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires on 17x17.5 Orbitek wheels.
Other cool stuff: AEV-built roof rack, rocker guards, front bumper with winch mount, and rear bumper; Warn XP9500 winch; IPF 900 MSR off-road lights.
Built by: Mount Logan Off-Road & EK Motor Sports, Logan, Utah
Found at: EK Motor Sports booth
Wildest mod: You're probably expecting us to say the $20,000 set of Mattracks 150 Super Duty Series tracks, right? Well, good guess-you're partly right. In addition to the tracks, we also think it's cool that this rig features a number of upgraded driveline components to ensure that the tracks don't annihilate parts on a regular basis. Up front, there's a Tera 60R axle and in the rear there's a Tera 60R axle with custom full-float kit. Both axles sport 5.13:1 gearing. Further, the front axle is fitted with an ARB Air Locker and the rear is fitted with a Detroit Locker.
Other cool stuff: Custom front suspension with 14-inch-travel Sway-A-Way coilover shocks; Mt. Logan Off-Road custom shock hoops; Rock-Slide Engineering control arms and custom long arm kit and Currie Anti-Rock sway bar; custom rear suspension with 9-inch-lift Skyjacker coil springs; Skyjacker heavy-duty rear sway bar and shocks; repositioned coil-spring buckets; Rock-Slide Engineering control arms and custom long arm kit; Advance Adapters Atlas II 4.3:1 transfer case with heavy-duty output shaft; Warn Rock Crawler bumpers; Warn 9500ti winch; Rock Ram hydraulic steering system.
Built by: Decoma/Chrysler Group Skunkwerks
Found at: Mopar Alley booth
Wildest mod: We have to give kudos to the powerplant in this concept vehicle. It's a high-output 4.7L V-8 engine that is topped with a Paxton centrifugal supercharger. That yummy combo is enhanced with a free-flowing Borla dual exhaust.
Other cool stuff: A 2-inch suspension and 3-inch body lift; 33x13.5-20 Mickey Thompson Baja Claw tires; Budnik Arrow wheels; Decoma bumpers; dual Warn winches; articulating tubular spare-tire mount; Jeep Renegade-inspired roof lights fabricated by Decoma.
Built by: Weld Racing
Found at: Weld Racing booth
Wildest mod: Clearly, the 10-inch IFS/IRS suspension lift under this '04 Expedition is a bit unusual. The kit is actually available from the folks over at Full Throttle Suspension, and it's said to retain all factory geometry and ride quality.
Other cool stuff: Dual Sway-A-Way front shocks; 18x10 Weld Racing Pro-Loc Series Dune 6 wheels; 37x13.5-18 Pro Comp Xterrain tires; Kenny Davis' paint; pinstriping by Bob Bond; Carriage Works grille; Classic Soft Trim interior.
Built by:: Evil Twin Suspensions, Clearfield, Utah
Found at: Evil Twin Suspensions booth
Wildest mod: Without a doubt, it's the outrageous 56-inch-lift custom four-link suspension created by Evil Twin Suspensions. The system features 16-inch-travel Fox coilover shocks and custom sway bars.
Other cool stuff: Michelin 53.4x18.5-20 tires; 20x12 Weld Racing Cheyenne wheels; 383ci stroker motor; Dana 60 front axle; Dana 70 rear axle; Genuine Gear 6.17:1 gearing; '00 Cadillac front clip; Cadillac DeVille taillights; custom interior by Newskool Customs; custom audio by Innovative Car Audio.
Built by: HPA Motorsports, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Found at: KW Suspensions North America booth
Wildest mod: The little Ford Escape is a strong seller for Ford, and is rumored to be the platform for the new retro Bronco. We've never done much with the Escape because it doesn't have a two-speed transfer case, but we're going to overlook that for a moment because this '03 Escape is downright cool. One of the neatest things is the KW Suspension Variant 3 coilover suspension system that can be raised or lowered up to 2 inches from stock. Obviously, this makes room for larger tires, and this rig was wearing a set of aggressive Goodyear Wrangler MT/R 30x9.5R15 tires.
Other cool stuff: Kenne Bell Supercharger; Borla stainless steel exhaust system; Hyperformance ventilated disc brakes; 15x8 Weld Mountain Crusher wheels; custom Safari snorkel; Garvin wilderness rack; 10 Hella HID lights; '05 Escape composite headlight system; Westin step bars and custom pushbar; Ford Accessories rear wing; HPA Motorsports carbon-fiber flare kit and hood overlay; Sony dual-zone entertainment system.