Making a Statement in Steel and Patina:
Hodson Motors Ford F600 Dually

Say what you will about the patina craze we see at SEMA but the distinct weathered ‘n’ worn look just works on certain builds. The trend has come full circle as we’ve seen multiple examples of perfectly fine truck bodies get primered and scuffed up on purpose.

But the father and son duo at Hodson Motors in Las Vegas, NV handcrafts miracles out of the forgotten American iron from decades past. And just when you thought you have seen every iteration of Ford F-series pickup, this 1956 Ford F600 Crew Cab creation rolls in.

“We’ve had this truck for almost seven years,” son Riley Hodson jokes. “It’s always been the ugly duckling in the collection, always been a nightmare to drive. Now it’s excellent and fits in with our other trucks.”

…“the father and son duo at Hodson Motors in Las Vegas, NV handcrafts miracles out of the forgotten American iron from decades past,”...

Best New Ford Bronco Performance Parts at the SEMA Show

Upgraded, Modified, and Off-Road Ready Broncos

After a couple decades, a few car chases and a whole lot of horsing around, the Ford Bronco is back for 2021! Well, it has been back for a minute now, but after a year we’re all trying to forget, we’ll call SEMA 2021 the official year of the new Bronco.

This year’s SEMA we get to really see what companies have come up with to further develop performance parts for the new Bronco Platform. Turning the Ford Bronco into a very capable machine is not a new concept, in fact it has been the name of the game since the Bronco first came out in 1965. Over the years we’ve seen time and time again that the Bronco is not just a practical suburban cruiser, with some upgrades the Bronco becomes an off-roading monster.

Here’s a sampling of some of our favorites at SEMA with some of the most insane versions coming from Ford themselves!

FIrst off is this Rhino Rack Bronco build by Doetsch Off-Road, fitted with all of the camping luxuries that you can think of! Upgraded Bumpers with LED lights, custom fenders from ADV Advanced Fiberglass Concepts to fit those Big tires on Fifteen52wheels, an extendable cover, and to Top it off, a Canoe!

We also spotted this Black Diamond Bronco from Havoc Off Road, upgraded with bead lock wheels, custom Winch Compatible front bumper, an orange skid plate, and some custom metal side steps to get you in this lifted Bronco.

Don’t like mountains? How about the Desert instead! Look at these race variants also from Ford. These have so many Custom parts that It would be easier just to list what isn’t changed.

Do you wan’t a tank but have a Family too? Well, Ford put some treads on this Bronco, so that you can simply avoid the lines at the Ski Lift.

Old Meets New With the Land Rover Defender V8 Trophy

Feb. 15 – Heads up off-road adventurers, Land Rover Classic is building 25 re-engineered Defender Works V8 Trophy vehicles for an adventure of a lifetime. The brand will be continuing the formidable expedition legacy of the original Defender, creating this limited run of adventure-ready Defender Works V8 Trophy vehicles. The re-engineered masterpieces will then be used for an exclusive competition at Eastnor Castle in 2021.

These extremely capable off-road Land Rovers are based on the re-engineered 2012-2016 Defender Works V8 spec developed by Land Rover Classic, and will include a 400 horsepower 5.0-liter V8. Also included is an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission, an upgraded suspension, steering and braking packages, and a wide range of additional upgrades specifically tailored for off-road use. 

Dan Pink, Director of Land Rover Classic, states “The Land Rover Defender has always been more than just a vehicle, its engineering capability and suitability for overland expedition and all-terrain competition means it’s renowned with getting away from it all. The new Land Rover Trophy will bring this to life for a new generation of adventurers.” 

To begin, Land Rover has taken a mixture of 90 and 110 Station Wagon body designs, each being finished in an exclusive and unique Eastnor Yellow paint with matching 16-inch steel wheels. The Defender Works V8 Trophy will be built to handle the most demanding and rugged challenges. Land Rover will be adding an entire all-terrain kit, which includes a front winch, multi-point expedition cage, roof rack, underbody protection, a raised air-intake, LED spotlights and M/T tires. 

Inside the Defender Works V8 Trophy is a full black Windsor leather upholstery with Recaro seats and  a bespoke Land Rover Trophy clock face by Elliot Brown. 

The Land Rover Trophy Event will start with owners putting their names, along with their co-drivers, on the vehicle along with their country of origin. Owners will then set out on the adventure with guidance by an off-loading expert to give the customers a unique opportunity to develop extreme driving techniques and skills. A grand prize for the winner of the exclusive competition at Eastnor Castle will be announced later this year. Prices for the Land Rover Defender Works V8 Trophy start at $236,000. 

The All-New 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor: More Tech, More Travel

Feb. 3 – If you’re looking to hop into the most capable off-road vehicle made to date, geared to the gills with new tech and designed after an F-22 Raptor fighter jet, then you may want to take a look into the all-new 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor. Ford has crafted the most rugged Ford Raptors to shred through the dirt, and now they have upped the ante with the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor. Designed to tackle the toughest terrain, the new Raptor comes with all the bells and whistles to comfortably glide through the desert with ease. 

This fully redesigned Ford F-150 Raptor comes straight from the factory with an all-new five-link rear suspension with improved wheel travel. Also included, similar to the 2017-2020 Raptors, is the electronically controlled next-generation Fox shocks with Live Valve technology. The Ford Performance chief engineer, Carl Widmann, says that the “Raptor is rooted in Baja 1000 racing, and its suspension advances our capability and performance — a five-link rear setup with more wheel travel than any Raptor before it.” The previous generations’ 13 inches of travel in the front and 13.9 inches in the back was already an impressive feat from the factory, but when it comes to pre-running, the more the merrier! The all-new Ford F-150 Raptor is also capable of up to 1,000 pounds of damping per corner at desert speeds.

The styling for the new Ford F-150 Raptor is deeply inspired by the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. The rugged and aggressive exterior is the signature Raptor look, but this completely redesigned platform goes one step further to show its true grit. The new hood has a heat extractor and functional side vents inspired directly by the fighter jet. Also noticeable is the distinctive front that emphasizes the truck’s width, featuring a power dome hood, headlights that stretch fender to fender, and of course, that beautiful blacked out grille.

Engine wise, the Ford Raptor is equipped with a third-generation twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine. The previous 2017-2020 Raptors proved just how much of an improvement the EcoBoost engines made to the Raptor family, so it was only right that for 2021, they maintained the same power plant.

When it comes to the newest technology Ford has to offer, the Ford F-150 Raptor is equipped it all. The Raptor’s new high-tech cockpit includes a 12-inch digital gauge cluster featuring a large information-on-demand area with Raptor-specific graphics and animations, off-road data and turn-by-turn navigation. Also included in the standard package is a 12-inch customizable center screen, allowing the driver to split the screen and control multiple functions at the same time. Over-the-air updates allow the Ford F-150 Raptor to gain more capabilities in the future like trail maps and trail turn assist, making the Raptor even more capable off-road. 

The 2021 F-150 Raptor will be assembled at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Michigan, and if you’re ready to get your hands on one, be prepared to wait until this summer when they’ll be hitting showroom floors.