They started in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in Paris France, and now a year a half later sit waiting to cross the Bering Straight. The Goal? To become the first vehicle to travel from Paris to New York (the long way) under its own power. Extreme Expedition has passed through eighteen countries in eighteen months, and looks to add two more to its total as it looks to complete its 25,000 mile voyage this June.

Now, the most dangerous part of the voyage lies ahead as the team waits for the weather to clear before attempting to cross the 60 mile Bering Straight. The team has fitted the Wranglers with pontoons for water crossings and to ensure the vehicles won’t crash down through ice flows. From there the expedition plans to drive from Alaska into Canada before criss-crossing the states on their way to New York City.

If you have a lot of “Free Cash” laying around and want to get in on the action: you can! Around $50,000 will buy you 25 days or so behind the wheel of one of the three heavily modified Jeep Rubicon (JK) Wranglers.

Did you miss Moab? Do you scan magazines and troll the web to see the latest concept cars and hottest new products? Well… Don’t miss SEMA!

The SEMA Show is the world’s premier automotive car show and product showcase. With more than 3.2 million sq. ft. of concept cars, aftermarket vendors and over 2,500 new products on display, right off the Las Veags Strip,  not only is it the hottest auto show on the planet, it is the world’s largest automotive party!. The only problem? The SEMA Show is this exclusive trade show is for  Automotive Aftermarket industry personnel insiders only.

Win your way inside SEMA with Omix-ADA! 5 Lucky winners will win a trip SEMA as courtesy of Omix / Rugged Ridge.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive: Round Trip Air Fare, 4 Nights Accommodation in a 4 or 5 Star Hotel, Night Club Passes, a Spa Treatment, and of course Passes to the SEMA Show!

Register to win (no purchase necessary) at www.omix-ada.com. Fill out the online registration form using promo code “RR Blog”.

244 Page 4-color catalog covering the complete line of Omix-Ada, Rugged Ridge, ORV, Outland Automotive and Alloy USA products. Check it out today!

• 240 pages
• 8000+ parts
• Over 500+ new parts
• Covers 1941-2010 Jeep models

Shortly after rewarding the new Islander, Jeep announced that it would expand the contest nationwide by hiding three tikis in the US. Clues will be given online to help locate the idols. If you find one you could win a new Islander too! http://jeeptikihunt.com

Mopar ImMortal
The Mopar ImMortal is a Jeep Wrangler featuring portal axles, a 5.7-liter HEMI and off-road bumpers. Military-grade portal axle ends are engineered to mate to Mopar’s Pro Rock and Power Wagon performance axles and adapted to fit the suspension. Portal axle ends provide 5 inches of lift and contain a 1.5 gear reduction. Combined with the 4:1 transfer case, the result is a hard-core 100:1 crawl ratio. The Mopar ImMortal is sheathed in Jeep performance body armor for intense protection.

Vehicle Information:

Prototype Mopar portal axle assemblies
42 x 14.5 x 17LT Goodyear MTR tires
Mopar Jeep Wrangler 4:1 Rock Trac transfer case
Mopar Jeep Wrangler 2-inch lift kit
Mopar Performance body armor
Mopar AEV heat-reduction hood
Mopar half-door kit
Mopar sun bonnet
Mopar Jeep Wrangler seat covers
Paint – Viper Snakeskin Green Pearlcoat
Tom Woods custom drive shafts
AEV 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 conversion
Off-road front and rear bumpers
Hydraulic steering assist
Katzkin leather seats

Mopar Ram Runner
This is a new kind of Ram. Inspired by Baja-style desert racing, this 4×4 is unlike any other in captivity. The rigors of off-road racing require large tires, plenty of ground clearance, extreme durability and a sophisticated suspension system capable of withstanding tremendous impact. These features are combined into a package that is stable at speed and rock-solid in the corners. To achieve this kind of handling, a low center of gravity and long wheel travel are paramount.

The Mopar Ram Runner has the look and feel of thoroughbred desert racer. Inspired by trophy trucks, steel front fenders and rear bed-sides are replaced with fiberglass, allowing tremendous suspension articulation with zero interference.

Vehicle information:

Prototype of full suspension that Mopar will offer later this year
35-inch x 12.5-inch x 17-inch DOT-approved General Grabber Competition tires
Three-inch diameter internal bypass Fox shocks provide front and rear motion control
6061 T6, billet aluminum upper A-arms contain rebuild-able, high-angle ball joints that permit a massive 14 inches of wheel travel
High-angle CV joints are combined with plunging, splined axles made of 300 M tool steel and 1.00-inch diameter high-angle tie rods
4130 chromed moly steel lower control arms
Variable-rate coils support bed loads while special control arms provide 14 inches of wheel travel
Custom tubular Baja bumper and aluminum skid plate combination that housed four high-powered, LED off-road lights
A six-point roll cage finalizes the package while a special tubular tire carrier keeps a spare handy in the bed while maximizing load space

The General
For the ultimate in rock-crawling capability, “The General” features a custom Mopar 4.5-inch performance lift kit installed on a 2009 Jeep Wrangler. A new flat fender kit and Mopar/Hutchinson Rock Monster beadlocks allow tire pressure to be safely lowered for extreme driving conditions. Front and rear off-road bumpers and rock rails offer serious protection while the Mopar half-door kit provides improved visibility. The hood and rear spare tire carrier feature custom Mopar graphics splashed across the Mopar Blue exterior.

Vehicle information:

Engine: 3.7-liter V6
Transmission: 42 RLE
Overall Height: 80 inches
Overall Width: 77 inches
Wheelbase: 94.5 inches
Weight: 4,000 lbs
Tires: 37-inch Goodyear MTR’s

Ram PowerWagon
The mighty Ram Power Wagon is the full-size pickup truck of choice in a range of off-road situations. For Mopar’s Ram PowerWagon image vehicle, the team mated a unique 120-inch wheelbase chassis to a regular cab and step-side box. Axle articulation is greatly increased by utilizing the rear link-coil suspension of the Ram 1500. To gain additional ground clearance, Mopar added a new 4-inch suspension lift and 40-inch tires. Body protection comes from Rock-Slide Engineering-supplied sill guards, and custom front and rear bumpers. The spare tire is re-located to the cargo box. For visual impact, the team used a menacing two-tone black-on-white look, inspired by the wild paint schemes of Power Wagons in the 1970s.

Vehicle information:

Engine: 5.7-liter HEMI V8
Transmission: five-speed automatic
Overall height: 81.5 inches
Overall width: 83.5 inches
Wheelbase: 120 inches
Weight: 6,500 pounds
Tires: 40-14.5R/17 BF Goodrich KM2 Mud Terrain

We leaked the details of the Nukizer 715 earlier this week. Now here is the official press release:

The Jeep Nukizer 715 is an all-purpose truck that pays homage to the beloved military-only Kaiser M-715 truck. With a military-issue Jeep J8 four-door, the Mopar team converted the vehicle into a pickup body style by adding an aftermarket AEV Brute pickup box built for a TJ. To increase the size of the vehicle, the wheelbase is stretched to 124 inches from 116 inches. Enforcing the brand’s iconic M-715 is a new front clip produced in carbon fiber that re-creates the characteristic forward slant of the M-715 truck. To top it off, Bestop provided a unique soft top which artfully captures all of the quirks of the original.

Drivetrain upgrades include beefy Dynatrac Pro-Rock Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear axles filled with 5:38 gears and ARB Airlocker differentials. Power is distributed by an Atlas II transfer case spinning custom driveshafts from Tom Woods. To keep the military look, tires are 38-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrains mounted on Hutchinson beadlock wheels.

The powerplant remains a J8-specific 2.8-liter turbo diesel I-4 that has been treated to a re-programmed controller for more boost. Fuel is supplied from a custom Gen-Right tank made specifically for this vehicle and mounts to the rear cross member.

For body protection, Mopar added Jeep Wrangler rock rails and off-road bumpers. Other features include a Warn 9.5XP low-profile winch equipped with a Master Pull synthetic winch line, Warn air compressor, Terraflex dual-rate front sway bar and Garmin GPS Map 640 navigation unit.

Vehicle information:

Engine: 2.8-liter turbo diesel I-4
Transmission: four-speed automatic
Overall height: 75.2 inches
Overall width: 78.6 inches
Wheelbase: 124 inches
Weight: 4,500 pounds
Tires: 38 x 14.50-R17 BF Goodrich KM2

Jeep Wrangler Trail Boss
The Jeep Wrangler Trail Boss was built to showcase Mopar off-road products in the brand’s trail catalog. The Trail Boss is a two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that is built for serious off-road duty. The vehicle features a half-door kit, sun bonnet, front and rear AEV off-road bumpers, a Warn 9.5ti winch, rear-tire carrier, AEV hood, 3-inch lift kit, Hutchinson Rock Monster beadlock wheels, Katzkin leather seat trim kit, slush mats and a Kicker audio system.

Vehicle information:

Engine: 3.8-liter V6
Transmission: four-speed automatic
Overall height: 74.4 inches
Overall width: 78.6 inches
Wheelbase: 95.4 inches
Weight: 4,350 pounds
Tires: 35-12.50R/17 M/T Baja Claw radial