It's our Sweet 16th Party this year for Top Truck Challenge, the annual reader thrash-a-thon we've been hosting at Hollister Hills since 1993. And while we're not exactly debutantes anymore, there's something about TTC that always seems to have us reacting like giddy schoolgirls. Maybe it's the amazing eye-candy rigs we see pull into the campground each year. Maybe it's all the hunky guys who drive them...well, maybe not. One thing's certain: As a group, this year's crop of Top Truck 4x4s were among the most stoutly built we've ever seen, and they're owned by some of the nicest bunch of guys you'd ever want to spend a week of wheeling with in the foothills of Central Cali.
On the following pages you'll find profiles on each of this year's finalists. They run the gamut from more-or-less "real-world" rigs to rolling marvels of space-age 4x4 technology. We'll have complete event coverage in next month's issue, and if you simply can't wait, log onto fourwheeler.com. Check out the exclusive photos and video clips from our Sweet 16th running of Top Truck Challenge-then turn to page 66 to see how you can enter your rig for a chance to play with the big dogs next year at TTC 2009.