At the Havoc show in Kentucky this last year, I was cruising around in my golf cart, shooting show pictures, when all of a sudden I caught a gleam out of the corner of my eye. What I was drawn to were two trucks. They were two Toyotas, a bright orange one and a multicolored silver one. What struck me was just how incredibly clean they were. I knew I had to shoot one, even though I was really busy and already backed up for the weekend, I had to make the time. I was captivated by these trucks, which should have had a crowd around them all weekend but didn't. I wondered why there weren't more gawkers, like myself. After all, these sort of trucks dominated our show circuit in the late '80s. And to me, both of these trucks were contenders at this year's show, as well.
As of late, most minitruckers don't even notice these types of trucks at the shows. Why is that? You have to consider that no matter which part of the country you visit; you are probably going to see at least one at a local show. Some are survivors from the early days of minitrucks, while others are brand-spanking new. In my opinion, these trucks just don't get the credit they deserve. Although built by minitruckers, just like the slammed ones parked next to them; these are a different breed of trucks.
The questions I wondered were: Is the big truck scene dead? Has it ever really gone away? Last month, we discussed some of the trends that won't die in minitrucks. Mini monster trucks was one of those trends. As long as there's a guy who wants to drag body, there's bound to be a guy who wants to drive over that truck. It's always been that way, and I believe it will always be this way.
When it comes to these trucks at our shows, one thing I've noticed is there are two different types. One is the survivor, a truck that had been built in '89 or so, and had probably stayed with the same owner ever since then. The chances are, this owner is an older minitrucker, who had been in the scene since the '80s. And this was the case with the truck (see above picture), which we photographed at Drop Zone. My understanding is the owner of this truck has had the truck for a very long time, and has no plans of getting rid of it.
Another example would be the truck on this month's cover. It was recently built, which you can easily tell by how different it looks from typical lifted minis of the '80s and '90s. If you compare it to some of the features of when Mini Truckin' first came out, you can see an obvious difference. Besides having airbags, it also has a fully customized frame. Steve's Ford Ranger was built to compete with slammed minis, as well as lifted ones. With its innovative suspension, it's sure to get your attention at a show, versus an old-skool lifted truck with about 100 shocks in neon colors. To me, both of these styles are cool. One because it's new and different, the other because it's old-skool and still alive and kicking.
If there's one thing we can learn from these trucks, minitrucks are here to stay for the long haul. Whether they're short, tall, slammed, or lifted; they're all here to stay.
 This alluring vision was at...  This alluring vision was at Drop Zone and was a previous MT feature truck. |  Another newer build, this...  Another newer build, this lifted 4Runner has all the right moves. |  Representing Toyz R Us from...  Representing Toyz R Us from SoCal is the gorgeous black beauty. |
 Trucks like this are still...  Trucks like this are still very popular in Hawaii. |  This month's cover truck proves...  This month's cover truck proves that lifted minitrucks can be just as cool as their slammed brothers. |  This Ginormous Nissan Hardbody...  This Ginormous Nissan Hardbody is the perfect example of old Mini Truckin' features of lifted minitrucks. |