It’s not every day you see an International Scout 800 on the trail, which is why we did a double take when we saw Doug Faloni’s ’66 Scout 800 prowling around the California desert. Adding to this rarity is the fact that Faloni’s Scout is heavily modified, so it’s capable of negotiating even the most hardcore trails.

The Suburban, in production for a staggering 78 years, holds the record as the industry’s longest-running model and the large GM SUV has stomped other would-be competitors who have came and went through the years. A fine example of a classic Suburban is this incredible ’72 GMC 2500 Super Custom model owned by Henrik Hairapetian, proprietor of GM Truck Center and World Famous 4x4 in Burbank, California.

The ’50s was a defining decade in International Harvester light truck history, and 1957 marked the company’s 50-year Golden Anniversary. That anniversary brought with it a truck upgrade, a rapid move upmarket, and a push towards a more mainstream position for a company best known to the public as an agricultural and commercial equipment manufacturer.

If you need a new SUV or pickup truck, but you need to watch your budget, we're here to help. We've compiled the top five least expensive new 2013 four-wheel-drive SUVs and pickup trucks available in the U.S.

As is often typical in off-roading, each wheeling trip that Glenn Decker took in his '89 GMC Jimmy was the catalyst for upgrades. A couple of axles here, a new transmission there, and pretty soon there were upgrades everywhere. But Decker, a stay-at-home dad/stereo system fabricator from Rancho Cucamonga, California, kept buildup costs down by sourcing many used parts. For example, he found a used Offroad Design Doubler for sale on an Internet site and a set of used 42-inch Swampers on double beadlock wheels for sale in Arizona.

Mark Noto of Springville, New York, is the champion of the 2011 and 2012 Mickey Thompson Tough Truck Challenge series, and he has earned those titles behind the wheel of his '04 Ford Ranger-bodied truck.

At the turn of the 20th century, there were as many four-wheel-drive designs as there were four-wheel drives. Many never made it past the paper stage. A few got to prototype stage and most of these never went beyond a few years in production. A very few survived to be successful but not the one we are covering here. The American Motor Truck Company of Battle Creek, Michigan, went farther than most and built a line of 4x4 trucks starting in 1906 and sold a small number before fading away in 1912.

The Jeepster Commando was Jeep’s return fire against the deluge of more roomy, comfortable, and sporty SUVs that were emerging in the mid-’60s. The Scout had debuted for 1961 and had rapidly moved upmarket of the venerable CJ. The coming of the Ford Bronco wasn’t a secret and it debuted in 1965 as a ’66 model. What emerged late in 1966 was a new treatment on something old, the Jeepster Commando, Jeep code C-101.

It’s unusual to see a late model, heavily modified, fullsize Dodge truck on the trail. And it’s even rarer when that truck is a Power Wagon.

VWerks is a Michigan-based company that is led by PT “Pat” Muldoon, former head of Mopar engineering. Among other things, VWerks is responsible for creating head-turning vehicles like the Recon Jeep and the Caballo Diablo Ram, both of which were featured in the December ’12 issue of Four Wheeler.

For over 24 years we've put the latest 4x4 pickups available in our head-to-head battle that is Pickup Truck of the Year. To participate in the late-model truck showdown, the pickup has to be all-new or significantly revised from the previous model year (new cup holders don't count), have a two-speed transfer case, a production run of at least 1,500 vehicles available in the U.S., and be on sale by January 15, 2013. For this year's Pickup Truck of the Year (PTOTY) we had a head-to-head battle between two formidable contenders—the Ram 1500 Crew Cab Outdoorsman and the Toyota Tacoma TRD T|X Baja Access Cab. While Ford and GM had eligible trucks, the two manufacturers declined to participate in this year's competition.

It wasn’t such a big deal when General Motors retired the ’67-to-’72 truck line for the new ’73s. The hoopla came later, when ’67-to-’72 Chevrolets and GMCs became just about the most popular and valuable GM collector truck of all time.

The purpose of our 39-year-old Four Wheeler of the Year competition is to test and rate all-new or substantially-revised sport utility vehicles. The goal of this test is to assist you in your SUV buying decision, or at the very least, keep you up to speed on what's new in the SUV world and how that newness works. To be eligible, each vehicle must also have a two-speed transfer case, a production run of at least 1,500 vehicles available in the U.S., and be on sale by January 15, 2013.

Buying and selling parts is a huge part of the off-road hobby. Rarely does one have the time or funds to go all-in on a $100K do-it-all wheeler right out of the gate. Over the years eBay (www.ebay.com) has made a name for itself as one of the best places to purchase new and used parts. From 2½-ton Rockwell axles to Holley carburetors, you can find just about any piece, part, or complete vehicle you are looking for on eBay. eBay is very aware of its automotive commerce value and decided to form a friendly competition between four of the top automotive magazines: Four Wheeler, Hot Rod, European Car, and Low Rider.

Bigfoot 18 is the newest monster truck to roll out of Bigfoot 4x4, Bob Chandler’s Magic House of Horsepower in Hazelwood, Missouri. With over 30 years of building monster trucks on his resume, it’s a known fact that Chandler and his team know a thing or two about building world class, race-ready trucks, and the newest Bigfoot is a snarling animal.

In the late ’60s, a new American military vehicle type was born. Initially termed the High Mobility Combat Vehicle, the concept envisioned a fast, multi-purpose light vehicle. A number of companies vied for the contract and a few now-famous vehicles branched out from this developmental tree, including the Lamborghini Cheetah, the military HUMVEE and its civilian counterpart the Hummer H1. Lesser known is the winner of the contract to develop the new vehicle, and the root of the tree, the Ordnance Division of FMC (Food Machinery Corporation), who built a prototype called the XR311.

Paul Regner gets to wrench on some cool stuff. His vocation is an M1A1 Abrams battle tank mechanic and his personal rig is this awesome 1959 Willys pickup. Some guys get all the luck.

Some barns contain more than cows, chickens, and feral cats. As a matter of fact, some may even contain old, restorable 4x4s. Now for the uninitiated, if you find a cool but decrepit old 4x4 in a barn, you have found the quintessential “barn find,” which can be a very good thing. The term barn find is actually a catchall phrase that encompasses more than just a vehicle specifically found in a barn. It includes just about any abandoned vehicle found in, near, next to, in front of, or behind a barn, in a pole shed, an old garage, a granary, or wherever.

It’s always fun to reminisce and bench race about old rigs, trail tales, and seemingly impossible ideas that never quite came to be. Sometimes a quick glance in the proverbial rearview-mirror can remind us of things we’ve enjoyed and offer newfound motivation for those forgotten projects. With the 2012 magazine calendar year in the bag, we are starting off our editorial New Year by taking a look back at some of our favorite rides of 2012. Instead of giving you a glorified overview of our top picks, editors Cappa, Brubaker, and Mansour each served up their straightforward opinions on the memorable machines.

The Mayans predicted that December 21, 2012 would be the end of the world. Some fret that it will be the zombie apocalypse, while others worry that they will get stiffed on Christmas gifts. We’re not ready to drink the Kool-Aid, but just in case we are wrong, we figured we should start prepping now. Surviving Armageddon could be the equivalent of an extreme camping trip and turkey-shoot rolled into one.

Civilized society has imploded and it’s just you and your 4x4 in a chaotic world. There’s no electricity, cell phones are useless, and supermarkets are stripped bare.

In 2011 Jeep unveiled the Call of Duty: MW3 Special Edition Wrangler. It had the Black Ops styling with dark wheels and clever badging, but lacked one basic item that all battle-ready vehicles need—firepower! OK, so there was no way Jeep was going to have a .50 caliber upgrade box to check under the heated seat option, but one could wish, right? Fortunately, we’re not the only ones who sought the vision of a heavy-duty military-grade Wrangler capable of post-apocalyptic terrain conquering and zombie slaying.

Since we’re sticking with the post-apocalyptic theme in this issue, it only makes sense that we reference one of the foremost experts at surviving mayhem and extreme villains—Batman. Now, before you go thinking we’ve gone off the deep end again, please allow us to explain. You see, Batman had to deal with creative villains that often wanted to explode his city and with blast him to bits. Time and time again the Caped Crusader dodged harm and defeated the villain.

Retirement, for some people, means daily brunch at the country club, getting the Cadillac washed once a week, and spending wintertime in Florida. This isn’t David Teeple’s style, however. Teeple, a retired Lockheed Martin quality engineer, is often found behind the wheel of his ’70 GMC 2500 Custom, exploring trails that would stop a normal fullsize truck dead in its tracks.

Even people who don’t know much about SUVs, 4x4s, or International Harvester remember the Travelall. If not by name, then by the ’50s sense of all being good in the world—even if it isn’t.