A 1957 Scenic Jeep Tours FC 170had been restored!

photos from, and full story at http://www.fourwheeler.com/featuredvehicles/129_1207_bringing_a_1957_fc_170_tour_jeep_back_to_life/photo_01.html

FWD means Four Wheel Drive Auto Company... they seem to have invented the modern 4x4, and had a standing challenge of $1000 to any car that could follow along for 10 minutes in rough terrain, they never lost, and called the test car the Battelship

 after demonstration of the above four wheel drive ability, the US Army bought it's first 4x4 in 1911

 above is the famous Battleship which never lost the $1000 dollar challenge, it had a 452 cu in engine

above is the Army's first test model, and here is caked in Georgia mud, becuase they gave it a 1500 mile torture test through the winter. It was last seen in San Diego being used by the Signal Corps. At the time, the Army had 100,000 head of horses standing by at Miramar (home of Top Gun until 1997, now a USMC airplane and helicopter base)

FWD bought Seagrave in 1963, and the Seagrave name carries on building fire department trucks. They have a museum, called the Pioneer Park Museum that houses the Battleship. photos and info from http://www.fourwheeler.com/featuredvehicles/129_1206_june_2012_backward_glances/index.html

the Nancy Hank is the last factory demonstrator vehicle, the one they kept and is in their museum

You see something strange every day on the freeways...

I just love that I snapped the last shot, in perfect focus, right when he flashed a wha Hoo sign, and grinned in triumph as he looked my way to receive attention for his odd front end suspension. Good for you man, right on.

Off roading in Moab Utah, with a 95 Crown Vic... huh.

skip to the minute and a half point to avoid the stupid music and just get the interview and closer look at the car

Thanks to Randy!

The many uses and ways the Jeep has been the workhorse in so many places and varieties of terrain

 rare to see a FC jeep

 not only was the Jeep a pusher, but look at the difference in front tires on the sprint car!

all from http://www.ewillys.com/?cat=195

Road Runner in 1969 running in the Baja 1000... if ever a better named car and race met, I can't think of it

I think this was the back page of Mopar Muscle

Big Oly, a new Baja race vehicle tribute to Parnelli Jones' Baja 1000 two time winning Bronco in '71 and '72

Marshall's website about his incredible truck is here http://www.bigoly.com/ and you can read more about what it took to build it, and what he built it with there.

the above photo of Parnelli Jones winning Bronco is from http://www.off-roadweb.com/events/0802or_40_years_to_glory_happy_birthday_baja_1000/index.html and they had very little to say about such a famous off roader " Big Oly came out of Bill Stroppe's shop but was really the brainchild of Parnelli Jones and one of Stroppe's fabricators, Dick Russell. Stroppe at first resisted the idea of building a tube-chassis vehicle with Bronco skins because it wouldn't be a true Bronco. Jones and Russell would eventually move Big Oly from Russell's garage to Bill Stroppe's shop, and Stroppe eventually accepted the idea. It won the Baja 1000 in 1971 and 1972. "

Bill Stroppe was a race car fabricator for Nascar if I recall correctly, and at a christmas party goaded Parnelli into a challenge to drive in the Baja 1000. Parnelli was known for Indy car driving, but proved exceptional at Baja racing... so great that he not only won the race, he beat all the motorcycles too!

Marshall Madruga was inspired by the Olympia Beer sponsored Bronco, and had several vintage Broncos from huigh school until his Class 8 off roader, but went all the way to insane with this Trophy Truck.

Olympia Beer isn't familiar to many of you I think, but it was one of the more popular beers in the 70's that has disappeared from our cultural awareness, like Strohs, Schlitz, and others. Olympia Beer was on screen with Clint Eastwood a lot though, and if you watch Clint's 1970's and 80's movies like "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot". If you are ever in Olympia Washington, capital city of Washington state but a very small city now, stop by the brewery. It's a cool experience and good tour. Olympia is not only a state capital, and a beer, but also the city that the USS Olympia fast attack nuclear submarine was named for... and that makes it the only US Navy vessel that shares the name of a alcoholic beverage. I was crew from 1991 to 1995 on that sub... cool experience, but not one I would repeat.

This is the 2nd incredible vehicle I've found and featured here that was built to replicate/honor/pay homage to a Parnelli Jones race vehicle, the other was the Boss 302 Mustang that Les built exactly to the specs of the original http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/06/68-ford-transporter-aint-that-cool-i.html 

Crawlmaro by Essentially Off Road, when a 69 Camaro is the coolest off road rock crawler I see, I take lots of photos

 http://www.eoronline.com/ for more about this cool crawler

 It was either brought to SEMA, or built by

Have you heard about the Yeti?

this is on the tire... because I was curious who made such tires. Mark emailed me to let us know that Titan Tires (the Grizz) and wheel rims are manufactured in Des Moines