Escape Portal

THIS PORTAL-AXLED CRUISER IS CHOCKFULL OF THE BEST MODIFICATIONS TO MAKE IT THE ULTIMATE MOBILE BASE CAMP FOR ITS ADVENTUROUS OWNER.

WE ALL WANT to escape our everyday lives and explore this mighty country. A weekend adventure is often within reach but, really, readers of this magazine would all like to go off-grid for far longer, something that owner Joe Spelta does as often as he can. In fact, Joe’s escapes can be up to a couple of months if he really wants, thanks to his adventurous spirit and his mega tricked-out Land Cruiser 79 Series ute. Built up from a wish list created by Joe’s son Mark, this is a rig that makes any destination possible and delivers its ageless adventurer there and back again comfortably – and reliably – every single time he heads out to explore. Yep, it’s probably every Aussie off-road tourer’s ultimate dream turned tough, unstoppable reality.

FROM DREAM TO REALITY

ALL GOOD things start with an excellent idea and, for Joe’s dreams of exploring the many remote and spectacular parts of his Far North Queensland backyard, that idea was a tough touring vehicle built specifically for his needs. This meant a rig that was only used for adventure and was always ready to go on the next one, no matter how short the notice. After all, as Mark says, when you’re retired and still living life large, you don’t want to waste time messing around for a week sorting out a list of gear to take it simply needs to be already there and ready for either a weekend or, in Joe’s case, a couple of months, as Mark explains.

“He goes whenever he wants; he’s retired,” he says. “He’s owned a business all his life so he’s finally retired and he just goes touring up the Cape whenever he needs to; he loads up and gets going. He just wanted something that was fully take-able and comfortable and easy to get through anything.”

The father-son duo laugh when I ask if any other vehicle was considered.