Detroit has jumped into a massive off-roading competition alongside the modern muscle car wars, as Ford revives the Bronco and Fiat-Chrysler responds with the forthcoming Ram TRX. Joining the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, as well as Ford's F-150 Raptor, the list of impressive factory 4xs only seems to grow steadily.
Part of the recent rise in popularity of trail-running, rock-crawling, and overlanding can, no doubt, be attributed to a YouTube community churning out consistent content. On the other hand, with the coronavirus pandemic once again surging in the United States, perhaps even more people will find themselves inclined to social distance by heading out into the great unknown.
But a word of warning to any would-be off-road warriors: this is a very expensive hobby, no matter what the YouTubers say (or receive for free). A new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon or Ford F-150 Raptor can quickly escalate above $60,000 from a dealer, not to mention the laundry list of aftermarket parts everyone immediately wants to install on top of factory products. But buying a used 4x4 also means worrying about reliability—plus the aforementioned upgrades, factors which can easily combine to end up costing a ton.
But the overall cost clearly hasn't stopped off-roaders from going out and having their fun, so to celebrate the increasing popularity of the sport, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California, has partnered with Land Rover for a fun exhibit entitled "Extreme Conditions" that will hopefully entice the general public back through the museum's doors once it can reopen safely after shutting down due to Covid-19 earlier this year.
In advance of the planned reopening, the Petersen invited me inside for a sneak peek at all three of the planned exhibits, which also include "Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed" and a Porsche-focused batch of racecars in "Redefining Performance." More wide-ranging than the other two collections, "Extreme Conditions" offers an eclectic view at off-roading builds that runs the gamut, somehow, from Jeeps to Land Rovers to Porsches—somewhat fittingly, even a muscle car makes an appearance.
Land Rover Defender, Old Meets New
Ford isn't the only brand to have recently revived a long-tenured off-roading favorite. Land Rover has performed much the same feat with the redesigned Defender, a new take on the ubiquitous, boxy 4x4 that established Land Rover's ethos well before the likes of the Range Rover subsidiary brought luxury into the picture or the more modern Discovery brought Land Rovers to the masses.
The new Defender might seem like it's priced itself out of the market with a starting sticker just below $50,000 but remember, a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon will typically end up costing about the same amount (or more). And across a wide range of trim levels, all the new Defenders come with legit off-roading mechanicals like true four-wheel drive and locking differentials. Sure, purists might scoff at the new truck's unibody build and independent suspension setups, but it does leave the factory with more ground clearance and more wading ability than a Rubicon.
"Snortin' Nortin" Chevy Nova
While it's not surprising to see the new Defender at an exhibit supported by Land Rover, many of the rest of the vehicles on display do trend towards the unusual end of the off-roading spectrum. Perhaps none embody the spirit of all-out mania that tends to go along with off-roading enthusiasm more than this lifted Chevy Nova nicknamed the "Snortin Nortin" and on loan from the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame.
This beast was transformed to compete in off-roading events during the 1980s, with huge knobbies, skid plates, and a roll cage installed in the hopes it might survive iconic endurance rallies like the Baja 1000, Mint 400, and Parker 400. The suspension has been heavily worked over with FOX Racing shocks, independent coil spring arms, and leaf springs, allowing this Nova to stay intact enough to have recently run in the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Baja 1000 races, as well.
Jeep Wrangler With All The Goodies
Of course, no off-roading exhibit could be considered complete without at least one Jeep Wrangler on display. Jeep has built the factory off-roader of choice for decades, going back all the way to when Enzo Ferrari famously (possibly) called it "America's only true sports car." This TJ-generation Wrangler might be one of the more famous in existence, having been nicknamed "Goldie Rocks" and driven by famous female off-roader Jessi Combs before her untimely demise in 2019 while setting a new four-wheel land-speed record. In 2014, Combs piloted this Jeep to a class win at the hardcore King of the Hammers event, which explains the extensive suspension upgrades from Custom Savvy Racing and the 35-inch BFGoodrich Krawler tires at all four corners.
When The Wrangler Just Can't Keep Going
If there's anything to be learned from today's extensive off-roading community as it livestreams every single craggy trail across the planet, it's that no matter how hardcore their vehicles get, people are still going to go out and get stuck. And the truth is that some conditions simply get too gnarly, even for a vehicle with four knobby tires, three locking differentials, and all the suspension mods imaginable. Enter the world of fully custom projects that include bolting on rubber track conversions, like this famous Jeep FC-170 Forward Control cabover that's also received Hemi power. In sand and snow, where a fully-prepped "traditional" Jeep running old-fashioned round wheels might struggle, this thing should be able to plow a path without nearly as much trouble.
Porsche's Off-Roading Supercar
Out of all the wild cars and wild builds featured in the Petersen as it inches toward reopenings, Porsche makes the most recurring appearance. The "Desert Flyer" above began its life as a more pedestrian 964-generation 911 Carrera 4, with all-wheel drive and a raspy flat-six hanging off the back axle. Prepping it for competition at the 2017 50th anniversary of the NORRA Mexcian 1000, the Rothsport Racing Team actually converted it back to rear-drive only while bolting on a lift kit, beefier shocks, a shaved front bumper, and bigger tires.
Apparently, the 3.6-liter powerplant had also been upgraded extensively to the point that the car's original drivetrain wouldn't be able to handle the stress, though it would certainly seem like all-wheel drive would have been an advantage in this case. After all, that would seem like the main reason to choose a 964 in the first place, as the first publicly available 911 to receive all-wheel-drive after the 953 and 959 rally cars demonstrated the layout's efficacy so comprehensively.
Baja Bug And Its High-Spec Cousin
The Porsche 959 brings us full circle to the Petersen's "Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed" exhibit, which itself couldn't be complete without a 959 (not to mention a Ruf CTR Yellowbird), and "Redefining Performance" which explores the ways Porsche brings motorsport develops from the track to the roads. Somehow, Porsche's iconic 911 has managed to bridge the gap between all three distinct automotive genres, demonstrating once again why the decades-old rear-engine design remains so popular to this day.
Taken as a whole, "Extreme Conditions" goes a long way towards exploring the wild modifications that off-roaders will undertake to afford their vehicles with more capability. Just compare the Baja-prepped Volkswagen Beetle above to the original "People's Car" with its puny air-cooled flat-four hanging off the rear axle, barely able to get up to highway speeds. Meanwhile, sports cars like the Porsche and Triumph in the background of the Baja Bug show off the lengths their owners were willing to go to have a bit more fun when the asphalt ends.
Sources: offroadxtreme.com, caranddriver.com, hemmings.com, autoevolution.com, and petersen.org.