We Posted last week the announcement that one of the Tough Dog Team was going to be making tracks to the northern most point of Australia in September 2015. Of course, A trip like this can’t be undertaken without a few mates… Safety & recovery aspects aside, Having a few mates to share in the experience, and to administer the odd ribbing for getting stuck, or choice of vehicle (all in jest of course) is just part of the fun.
The Crew consists of Matt & Lauren in the Mitsubishi MN Triton, Richo driving his mighty Isuzu D-Max, and Russell, piloting the Toyota 80 Series LandCruiser. Dave is also travelling with Deborah, who’ll be ensuring the GU stays right side up.
Richo claims the title for ‘longest time owning a 4WD’ having purchased a Toyota Surf sporting the 2.4L turbo diesel powerhouse as a first car. The Hilux served its purpose valiantly for a few years, but with a 0-100km acceleration of a scorching 31 seconds (downhill with a tail wind) it ended up being traded in in favour for something a little more modern. After a string of vehicles the 2010 Isuzu D-Max caught Richo’s eye, and the 3.0L turbo diesel is hard to pass up.
Matt’s family roots are firmly planted in Rural NSW, so owning a 4WD was a natural progression. After dabbling in some seriously high powered sports cars (including a Nissan S15 that has to be seen to be believed) Matt went from a 90 series Prado to a brand new Mitsubishi MN Triton. Matt explains, “I loved the Prado, and would have upgraded to a 120 or 150 series, but the bang-for-buck in the Mitsubishi is hard to go past.”
Russell bought the ‘Cruiser to replace an ageing, but very trusty leaf sprung Pajero. The need for more space and a good dose of power became the driving factor that retired the Mitsubishi. Moving to a newer vehicle with more aftermarket support has resulted in a host of modifications to ensure the 80 series truly is a home away from home.
The whole expedition was actually borne of an Idea that came from Matt. Sitting at the local… watering hole… on a sunny afternoon the discussion veered towards bucket list trips, and Cape York was the obvious top of the list. After floating the idea for September last year, timing and planning forced the timing out to sometime in 2015. “The Cape has been on my bucket list basically since I started 4WDing” Matt explains.
And so, a dream became a plan and the preparation began.
Since these photos were taken, there’s been a modification list a mile long added to each and every vehicle. To find out more about the personalised setup on each vehicle, keep your eye on this page as well as the Tough Dog Facebook page!