THE SHOW MUST GO ON

THE OVERLAND COMMUNITY DISPLAYS ALTRUISM WITH A CAR SHOW AMIDST A PANDEMIC

2020-10-01 - BY JACOB FEUERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE VEHICLE OWNERS

Being stuck inside is an overlander's worst nightmare. But this is exactly what happened in the spring of 2020 when states, one by one, required stay-at-home orders to protect the health and safety of their residents due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Outdoor shows were canceled, group camping trips were postponed, and toilet paper was on backorder. And then came Super Fun Outdoors with the Virtual Adventure Vehicle Show. Paired with Rigs & Coffee and Tread magazine, Super Fun Outdoors hosted a virtual overlanding event to bring the outdoor community together while supporting a local food bank in the Bay Area of California, one of the hardest-hit communities at the time.

The virtual event, hosted online and on social media, highlighted many popular builds, including Jeep Wranglers, Toyota Tacomas, and 4Runners, as well as various unique and rare vehicles. Submissions included Mitsubishi vans, International and Blue Bird buses, and luxury builds such as Porsche Cayennes and Audi Allroads. The event wasn't just for individual builds, though; companies such as Scosche, Planetary Design, Atturo Tire, Sackwear, and more entered their company builds in the hopes of placing in the Industry Build category.

Entries poured in from all over the world, including builds from Africa and Europe. With each $20 entry donation participants selected their chosen category and then submitted photos and details on their build. Picking a winner for each category was no easy task. Voting for individual builds was open to participants only, but the general public voted on the Industry Build category.

The winners walked away with various prizes donated by outdoor industry companies, including a trophy from Mercedes-Benz of Rockland and an outdoor coffee kit from Planetary Design. However, the Virtual Adventure Vehicle Show's real win was the hundreds of dollars raised for the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. While virtual events don't replace live shows, Super Fun Outdoors brought the community together until a time when we can see these category winners for ourselves in person.

Here are the winners for this year's show for the primary categories of Best Truck, Best SUV, Best Midsized, Best Van, Best Bus, and the secondary categories including Best Equipped, Best Homebuilt, and Best Quiver. Be sure to grab the next issue to see the full feature on the winner of the Industry Build Competition.

SUSPENSION: CAtuned O road

GEARS & TUNING: APR LLC

WHEELS: Rotiform

TIRES: Toyo Tires

BUMPERS: Factory

SLIDERS & ARMOR: Three Five Customs

ROOF RACK: Front Runner Outfitters

CONTROL SYSTEM: Redarc Electronics

WINCH: Not listed

LIGHTS: Rigid Industries

YEAR: 2017

MAKE: Toyota

MODEL: Tundra

INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT: @trd_tundra_oz

“I was invited by my friend to attend Tepui Fest. I ask[ed] him, what is that? He told me it’s a gathering of off-road vehicle[s]. I ask[ed] him, what is that? He told me, you got a Toyota pickup that will do. I told him, OK. Well I’m in for a surprise that my truck looks so bare. That’s the start of my modification.” —Osie Alvarez

BUILT BY: Stellar Built

SUSPENSION: Icon Vehicle Dynamics

GEARS & TUNING: Not listed

WHEELS: Method Race Wheels

TIRES: Yokohama

BUMPERS: C4 Fabrication

SLIDERS & ARMOR: Bay Area Metal Fab

BED RACK: Victory 4x4

ROOFTOP TENT: Tepui

AWNING: Tepui

CONTROL SYSTEM: 4x4 sPOD

WINCH: Smittybilt