A common conundrum, if you’re in the lucky position of being able to base your off-road build on a brand new truck, is that there’s hardly any choice left in the 4x4 market. The Suzuki Jimny is affordable but you can’t get hold of them, the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Landcruiser are pricey enough to put off most people and the Mercedes G-Class is brilliant but you’re in a really lucky position if you can mess with one of those.
That’s why so many people are turning to pick-ups nowadays. It was a rarity to see them being used off-road a decade or so ago, but now they’re commonplace.
What’s noticeable about modded pick-ups, however, is that they tend to be split into two types. We’ve featured plenty of big-budget vehicles based on new or nearly-new vehicles, and there’s also a world out there of DIY spanner men creating honest playday wagons from the sort of trucks you can pick up for a couple of grand.
But there never seems to have been very much in between. Perhaps it’s because the £10-15,000 bracket has always been, and probably always will be, full of Land Rover Defenders, but trucks in this kind of territory tend to be more of a rarity.
However there’s a company in the off-road world that aims to change this. Alex Sugden, of Viking Fabrication and Design, reckons there’s a market for mid-range pick-up builds – and the Mitsubishi L200 you see on these pages is an illustration of what you can create by becoming one of his clients.
It’s the property of Dave Yates, who’s not so much a client as a co-conspirator. He and Alex go back a long way, to when the latter was making bumpers and rock sliders for the previous-shape L200 to this one, so it was a natural fit for the two of them to plan a full build together.
Bu hikaye 4x4 dergisinin April 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye 4x4 dergisinin April 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Land Rover Confirms Prices For New Defender 90 As Order Book Opens
On sale now from £40,290 • Commercial models coming this year from £35,000 plus VAT
STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE
There’s nothing very middle-of-the-road about Dave Yates’ Mitsubishi L200. But with modified double-cabs tending to divide themselves into big-money builds and bargain-bucket weld-ups, with not a lot in between, the company that helped him build it hopes to become the go-to supplier for people wanting to plough a new furrow down the centre ground
Land Rover restorer Arkonik to expand with reintroduction into UK market – and project to develop fully electric Defender
Somerset-based Land Rover restoration specialist Arkonik has announced its return to the UK market.
FORD RANGER RAPTOR
Ultimate version of Ford’s market-leading double-cab has more power and highly specialised suspension but isn’t classed as a commercial vehicle.
DEMOGRAPHICS
With more and more modified Ford Rangers and Jeep Wranglers appearing at the top end of the off-road scene, you might be forgiven for thinking no-one is doing it with Land Rover Defenders any more. But while 90s and 110s have indeed been redefined by their galloping values, they’re still right at the heart of the UK off-road scene – as very ably demonstrated by this slick new demo truck from Terrafirma, and of course its cool Union Jack artwork
Dangel conversion turns Vauxhall Combo into unique 4x4 van
Vauxhall has introduced a new version of its Combo Cargo van – with a 4x4 conversion by specialist engineering supplier Dangel.
BMW X3 M COMPETITION
Latest addition to the X3 range takes BMW’s latest 3.0-litre engine and uses it to create one of the most thrilling SUVs you can buy.
A Lifetime's Achievement
After a life spent in the Land Rover business, David Bowyer thought he’d put his expertise to use and finally get round to doing a project he’d always promised himself. It’s been well worth the wait…
Life Begins At 44
If you see one of Arctic Trucks’ builds on a British road, odds-on it’s an Isuzu D-Max on 35” tyres. But the Icelandic company built its reputation on far bigger things – of which this mighty Toyota Hilux AT44 is a spectacular example
Mercedes-Benz EQC
All-electric soft-roader is based on the new GLC – and makes as compelling a case as we’ve yet to hear for making the switch away from traditional fuels