This Is Absolutely The Coolest Rig I Saw At Overland Expo

Bradley Brownell

What's nan constituent successful going off-roading if you can't bring a twelve of your champion friends on for nan ride? That's nan thought down nan aptly named LongCruiser overlanding rig, and thing embodies the tone of overlanding better. Built from a real-deal limousine, this monster started life arsenic a regular J80-series Lexus LX450 pinch a modular 215 horsepower 4.5-liter 1FZ inline six engine, but don't worry, that's gone now. More astir that later. Originally built successful nan mid-1990s, this instrumentality allegedly ferried astir each manor of well-to-do folks successful Brooklyn, New York. According to nan dude who owns it now, Biggie Smalls erstwhile rode successful it, and it has a 29-foot driveshaft pinch 3 bearer bearings to get each that powerfulness to nan rear axle. 

Full Disclosure: I attended Overland Expo MTN West successful an charismatic capacity arsenic portion of my Sales Director duties for Land Moto. The institution paid for my travel, food, lodging, and passes to nan Expo. None of this changes my sentiment of nan event, aliases this Land Cruiser, I would person loved it regardless.

All of nan trappings of its erstwhile limousine life are still intact, arsenic nan motortruck still carries a monolithic wrap-around sofa wrong complete real-deal granite tile floors, a champagne fridge, and a gigantic television. The agelong is mostly there, though it doesn't look rather arsenic caller and cleanable arsenic it erstwhile did. I find it funny that some ends built by Toyota are still looking beautiful good, but nan clumps of alloy and bondo holding it together are beautiful thrashed. 

Bradley Brownell

Now nan LongCruiser is retired for partying.

Bradley Brownell

Overland is 1 of nan astir celebrated segments of automotive enthusiasm correct now, and it's projected to proceed increasing arsenic much Americans want to get nan heck retired of dodge and flight nan rat title connected their clip off, or, astatine nan very least, look for illustration they do. The LongCruiser has been deed pinch nan overland accessories instrumentality a fewer 1000 times, and this is nan result. Your requisite tile racks, galore of them, are successful spot to clasp nan pop-up shelter and traction boards, arsenic good arsenic a scad of lights. It goes without saying that this motortruck has much monetary worth successful its Baja Designs lighting than it does successful nan motortruck itself. 

Of people it's sewage lockers, why are you moreover asking? With an off-road rig this serious, you request 4.88 gears, halfway and rear lockers, a assistance kit, and caller Kenda Klevers to get wherever you're going. No, it doesn't person a bully breakover angle, that's why it has a bully winch connected nan bumper. Yes, it's astir apt been underwater a fewer times, judging by that middle-section aboveground rust, truthful it perfectly needs nan snorkel. 

Bradley Brownell

So what's nether nan hood now? In early 2024 nan banal inline-six gave up nan shade erstwhile it popped a headgasket successful nan mediate of a roadworthy trip. A small complete a twelvemonth later nan motortruck was returned to work pinch a caller 5.3-liter General Motors LS V8 motor and 4L 65E automatic transmission yanked from a Suburban, thing pinch much than capable torque to move that ace agelong driveshaft. 

Bradley Brownell

More of car civilization should beryllium for illustration this. This feline is doing it for nan emotion of nan crippled and to put smiles connected peoples faces. Sure, immoderate of nan Toyota weenies will whine astir replacing nan far-superior Japanese motor pinch a boring aged LS mini block, but sometimes you conscionable person to do what you person to do. Build a thing, roadworthy travel it, break it, hole it, show it off, recreation nan country, be events. Come on, that's due automotive enthusiasm. Yeah, there's nary measurement this elephantine point is going to make it up astir of nan trails astatine Moab, and it astir apt can't do nan Rubicon, aliases compete astatine King of Hammers. For those of america who person much nosy hanging retired astatine campy drinking a fewer acold ones pinch nan folks earlier stumbling backmost to a roof-top tent, nan LongCruiser is king.