MAUL-CRAWLER
CHASING THE PERFECT MEMORY
Mthis one. ost off-road builds are fueled by the fire of hitting trails to rock crawl or heading to the desert to rip whoops and jumps—but not
Brian McGee built this import off-road monster to the most remote places in order to fuel his passion for photography. He built this rig to transport himself to the highest peaks and the farthest valleys to take night photos of the cosmos.
However, this build got away from him and turned into the beast you see before you.
Chasing Memories
Brian has been into trucks since he could reach the pedals when driving his dad’s 1976 Chevrolet Cheyenne 4x4. That truck started him down his current path. These are the types of memories that sculpt our future, and
“BRIAN’S LOVE OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND HIS ARTISTIC EYE TOGETHER PUSH THE AESTHETICS OF THIS RIG. THIS IS EVIDENT IN HIS CHOICE OF MODIFICATIONS. THE RIG HAS A STYLE THAT PUSHES THE BOUNDARY OF THE GX COMMUNITY IN BOTH LOOKS AND PERFORMANCE.”
for Brian, it sparked his automotive dreams.
“AT FIRST GLANCE, BRIAN’S GX470 MIGHT LOOK LIKE A MALL-CRAWLER. HOWEVER, IT’S ANYTHING BUT.”
After years of hard work, he was able to combine his passion for photography with his passion for trucks. Now, Brian is a professional automotive photographer who shoots anything from hot rods to domestics to imports, both on and off the dirt, all while using his rig to get him to all those remote locations (or sometimes just to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life). As far as memories go, Brian still hasn’t found his favorite memory with his GX470, so he’ll continue to trek across the landscape and chase that special moment. We just hope he documents it for the rest of us to see.
Pushing All the Boundaries
At first glance, Brian’s GX470 might look like a mall-crawler. However, it’s anything but.
Brian started this build with the idea of being different and, at that time, the Lexus platform definitely stood out in an ocean of Jeeps and Tacomas. While building out a Lexus isn’t very uncommon anymore (because they’ve become a familiar rig on the trail), Brian took things a step further to make his one-of-akind vehicle.
Inspired by the off-road rigs of the Hawaiian Islands, Brian built his rig to have a super-tall and extra-wide stance. When his rig passes by, you know exactly who it is. This “off-road rig in mall-crawler clothing” works the trails as Brian pushes it through its paces. So, while he likes his wheels blinging and his accents bright, he also pushes this rig to its limits. In his words: “It hasn’t been clean since 2018.” We respect that.
This GX470 is built out with all the goodies. Protection from the elements is provided by Pelfrey in the form of a super-stout steel front bumper with a Smittybilt XRC Gen3 9.5k-pound winch and a set of Pelfrey rock sliders. The 6-inch Rough Country lift meant
for an FJ Cruiser tackles terrain, but it was modified for the GX470, along with an Eimkeith PCK kit and Dobinson 750-pound rear springs. Holding it all up is a set of King 2.5 shocks with external reservoirs and a set of modded Total Chaos upper control arms that allow Brian to hit those desert whoops with some real speed.
This rig also lights it up when the sun goes down via a fog light setup from Baja Designs that includes a set of amber S2s, a set of white S2s and a set of Rigid ditch lights for the A-pillars.
Other awesome mods that set Brian’s offroad mall-crawler apart are its full-length roof rack and dual Rotopax mounts from JW Offroad, custom blacked-out headlights with LEDs, a Pedal Commander PC38, muffler delete and a safari-style snorkel … just in case he needs to practice some evasive maneuvers in some super-deep waters.
Brian’s love of photography and his artistic eye together push the aesthetics of this rig. This is evident in his choice of modifications. The rig has a style that pushes the boundary of the GX community in both looks and performance. Very few push their GXs as hard as Brian does, and even fewer modify theirs the way he has. Aggressive in driving style and visual style, this GX470 really pushes all the boundaries of what we are used to with the Lexus platform.
Sneakers Are for Trucks Too
Brian has yet another passion: shoes. His collection is vast and very eclectic. As a self-proclaimed “sneaker-head,” he’s found a parallel with modding his GX470.
Yes, you guessed it: Brian makes sure that each set of wheels in his collection makes a statement—a vibe, if you will—and his mean-looking grocery-getter gets better with each new set. Currently, a custom set of 17x9 with -38 offset KMC wheels wrapped in 35x12.5 Nitto Trail Grapplers gives Brian’s “soccer mom” car a super-aggressive look.
His current set of KMC wheels with highlighter
“AT THE END OF THE DAY, AS MUCH AS BRIAN’S GX470 IS AN OVERLAND MACHINE THAT CATCHES THE EYE, IT WAS PURPOSE BUILT TO BE A HYBRID, WITH FORM MEETING FUNCTION.”
yellow beadlock rings really sets off the truck.
Even so, take your pick—because Brian has added “big-boy” chrome wheels and even a set of candy-red Fuel Offroad beadlock wheels. They all share one thing in common: They’re all wrapped in super-aggressive, oversized tires meant to grip and rip off-road and make this GX look like a real-life Hot Wheels creation.
Form Meets Function
At the end of the day, as much as Brian’s GX470 is an overland machine that catches the eye, it was purpose built to be a hybrid, with form meeting function. It’s a rig meant to look good for photos and, more importantly, take Brian to the ends of the Earth, rock crawl, hit some super-secluded fishing holes and be off-grid for days so he can capture amazing images (you can see more of Brian’s photography on his personal Instagram: @itsjustbrian).
“BRIAN MCGEE BUILT THIS IMPORT
OFF-ROAD MONSTER TO GET TO THE MOST REMOTE PLACES TO FUEL HIS PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY. HE BUILT THIS RIG TO TRANSPORT HIMSELF TO THE HIGHEST PEAKS AND THE FARTHEST VALLEYS TO TAKE NIGHT PHOTOS OF THE COSMOS.”
Brian’s artistic style and thirst for adventure will continue to feed his passion for off-road photography. We can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us with his beast-mode, soccer-mom rig.