Fifty years ago, living on the road seemed plausible only for hippies and senior citizens. Or at least it certainly felt like an unattainable reality to the Four Wheeler staff and many of our readers. Modify a 4x4 to be a full-service home? Disappear yet be self-sufficient? Get away from it all while still being at the center of everything? What would you even call this bent reality?
Five decades ago, Gary and Monika Wescott—with their series of extreme Turtle Expedition vehicles— were pretty much the original Overlanding influencers, having the worldly adventures we all wanted to have, all from the vehicles they built just for that purpose.
The Wescott's traveled the backroads and main roads of multiple continents experienced people and cultures in a way few travelers ever had before them and thrived on an open-ended camping/exploration trip that made many of us question how our own wanderlust could ever truly be satisfied simply from random weekend getaways. Plus, they got to road test upgrades for custom 4x4s on every possible terrain and in all weathers throughout North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. They even managed to make massacres to their 4x4 mobile homes, such as blown-out rubber and exploding axles in the middle of nowhere, enviable experiences.
The following pages revisit the Turtles as well as their specs—or act as an introduction if you’re new to the Wescott's and their rides. You can also head over to fourwheeler.com and search “Turtle Expedition” or visit turtleexpedition.com for even more details and read more of their stories from the road.
SOURCE
The Turtle Expedition, Unlimited turtleexpedition.com
TURTLE I
GENERAL
Esta historia es de la edición February 2022 de Four Wheeler.
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Esta historia es de la edición February 2022 de Four Wheeler.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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2022 Summer Safari
NEK Overland led the way into parts of Vermont and a bit of New Hampshire most will never see
This fourdoor Ford foreshadowed late-model Broncos
Ddecades ahead of the '20 four-door Bronco, and even preceding the Ford Explorer and Excursion, came an SUV that could have passed for OEM and was built to answer the call for a three-row people-haulin' off-roader.
JEEP OR BLAZER BUILDING
I was hoping to pick your brain as to a couple of different builds. I have a '19 Jeep Wrangler JL and a '74 Chevy Blazer. I'm a little baffled as to what to focus on. The '74 full convertible Blazer is my dream vehicle. She's been a long build and now I am thinking of focusing my energy on my wife's '19 Jeep JL. I recently joined a Jeep club and have been going off-road with a few guys. I'm shopping around for lift kits. Would you suggest that my time be spent and focused on the Blazer or enjoy the Jeep? I really can't do both.
JEEP BEACH 2022
10 days, 25,000-plus Jeeps, 225,000-plus spectators
TAULER JACK
A new alternative to the old off-road jack
OVERLAND ADVENTURE 2022:
MEET THE PARTICIPANTS 12 outstanding, Mojave-ready over landers
JEEP GRAND CAMPER
This custom 1994 Grand Cherokee and homebuilt trailer were made to go camping
ROCK JUNCTION 2022
4 days, 23 trails, 1 awesome event
DECKED OUT SILVERADO
Is this the ultimate overland accessory for pickups?
SANDTASTIC!
Dangle the opportunity to put the hammer down on more than a dozen square miles of the largest coastal dune complex in the world, add in partying with family and friends at sand camps, spice it up a bit with a variety of motorsport competition and nightly concerts, and it's easy to see why the five-day