Different strokes for different folks" goes the saying, and if the goal is to transport off-road enthusiasts across Earth's most gnarly terrain at eye-opening speeds, then there are alternatives to Trophy Trucks. Case in point: Jeff Olsen's scratch-built Truggy, which boasts LS-1 power, a true long-travel dual A-arm suspension front and rear, and the ability to carry a quartet of dirt-eating passengers on the ride of their lives.
Amazingly, given the level of sophistication shown on Olsen's wild ride, the Truggy was built in Olsen's home garage during a seven-month period. However, as Olsen's full-time gig is as an Aircraft Technician, you can rightfully assume that his Truggy features quality fabrication and is engineered for maximum performance.
The Truggy's chassis is almost entirely built with 1-3/4-inch diameter chrome-moly tubing, save for a few areas where 1-1/2-inch chrome-moly tube was used. Scratch-built, unequal-length A-arms deliver 23 inches of wheel travel at the front; 24 inches of rear-wheel travel is produced with a set of custom, equal-length A-arms. Front and rear coilover shocks are from King Technologies (one per wheel), and one King bypass damper per wheel is used to fine-tune the suspension action. Stoppers are four-wheel disc, using a combination of CNC and Wilwood components, and the steering setup encompasses a Howe Trophy Truck-style rack-and-pinion system. Of special note is the operational angle of the rear CV joints that attach the axle halfshafts to the rear hubs - the Porsche 934 CVs are capable of operating through a 26-degree arc without binding.
Power for this beast is courtesy of a mid-engine V-8. The LS-1 'Vette engine is vintage '01, boasts an aluminum alloy cylinder block and heads, and is otherwise internally stock (after all, it is a 'Vette engine, and thus churns out in excess of 350 lb-ft of torque). Performance additions to the bent-eight include scratch-built, ceramic-coated headers, a custom intake tract, a K&N filter, and a pair of one-off rebuildable stainless steel mufflers, all of which were fabricated by owner Jeff Olsen, save for the filter element. The 5.7L engine powers an '02-spec Mendeola four-speed manual transaxle that's shifted with a PBS cable-actuated shifter
The Truggy's cockpit isn't outlandishly equipped, as it's set up strictly for business. Four Mastercraft Pro seats, upholstered in ballistic-quality red and gray vinyl, cradle four passengers, who are restrained by Crow five-point safety belts. There's also an on-board fire suppression system, GPS navigation, and Auto Meter Phantom-series gauges.