SDR Motorsports TT RZR
You just never know what Tim Berendes of SDR Motorsports and his team of merry machinists will roll out of the shop, and the TT RZR is the newest next-level offering from the Southern Cailfornia up fitter. After one of his Middle East customers expressed an interest in owning a trophy truck, Berendes pitched the idea of building a trophy truck replica XP 1000 and the idea took off from there. A custom-formed Glazzkraft body dresses the four-seat XP 1000 chassis, hiding a plethora of performance parts including SDR’s own line of Hi-Bred long travel suspension components mated to Elka shocks and a RACEPAK dash with an integrated iPad.  A turbocharged engine package is in the works, as is a slimmer rear body kit so the machine can be equipped with paddles. If you’ve ever wanted to own a trophy truck but can’t quite pony up half a million dollars, Berendes and Glazzkraft are partnering to make the TT RZR a limited edition production vehicle, but hurry… the word is out and they’re only making 20 of them.

TMW Offroad Project Werewolf
For some, the class-leading 144 horsepower of the new RZR XP Turbo is just not enough. For Doug Tyler of TMW Offroad and Jon Wolf of UTVwraps.com, they knew they wanted something in excess of 400 horsepower. How better to hit that magical number than with an LS engine package. At first glance, Project Werewolf looks like any other highly modified Polaris RZR.  However, poke your head inside the cab or take a gander at the rear end of the vehicle and you’ll discover very quickly that this little “sleeper” packs a punch.

The LS2 engine puts out a whopping 432 horsepower. Triple-bypass Walker Evans shocks tuned by Shock Therapy mated to extra-wide control and trailing arms built in house at TMW Offroad complete the sand car look while keeping all that added weight under control. Rigid Industries lights, a host of products from Billet UTV Specialties, and of course a wrap from UTVwraps.com complete the look of this astounding machine. Other build partners include Rockford Fosgate, Gear One, Triple X Seats, Raceline Wheels, AZ Cycle Parts and Precision Powder Coating.

Grounded 4 Suspension Kits
Grounded 4 is a new company with a long history in the UTV world. Brothers Chad and Brent Spooner were among the first to begin customizing Yamaha Rhinos back in the mid 2000s and developed somewhat of a cult-like following over the years. After taking some time off, Brent is back in business with a host of new and improved products for UTV enthusiasts. Grounded 4’s unique display caught our attention at the show and perfectly illustrates the company’s commitment to design and detail. Their brand new OEM replacement suspension package offers durability and weight savings over many aftermarket kits while having one of the trickest looks we’ve seen. The frontend features an adjustable upper A-arm, offering camber/castor adjustment while the rear trailing arm incorporates a laser-cut rounded housing for added strength. Upon closer examination you can really see the attention to detail, like the tapered joints and gussets in high stress areas. The feedback we heard from other attendees is that the industry is excited to see Brent getting back in the game.

Warfighter Made XP 1000 4 Seat Giveaway Car
Warfighter Made is an organization that burst onto the UTV scene a couple of years ago with the sole mission to provide recreational therapy to our nation’s wounded veterans. With the help of Polaris and a host of the industry’s top aftermarket companies, Warfighter has built this amazing XP 1000 four-seater and is raffling it off with all proceeds benefiting the 501(c)(3) organization. The vehicle will be on display at a host of events between now and the end of the year, with the drawing taking place on December 31st in Temecula, California. The winner need not be present to win, and you will be able to purchase tickets online at WarfighterMade.com in the near future.

Twin (sort of) Buckshot Racing Sand Cars
What else would you expect from brothers who own competing motorcycle distribution centers in the Middle East? Custom-themed sand cars featuring each brand, of course! With the explosive growth of the off-road industry in areas like Qatar and the UAE, more and more US manufacturers are finding a growing customer base in the Middle East, and Buckshot Racing is no exception. Unlike in the U.S. where a single manufacturer can have a host of dealerships in the same state or county, not to mention town, overseas things are run a bit differently. The owners of the two turnkey sand cars are the sole distributors for each brand, and they commissioned Buckshot Racing to build similar sand cars for use in their overseas sandbox.  Both cars feature identical LS2 twin-turbo engines capable of pumping out 550 horsepower, along with a variety of other goodies unique to each car. Can you say family feud?

DG Offroad’s XTV
The XTV (XROSS TERRAIN VEHICLE) built by DG Offroad is the ultimate purpose-built remote-destination vehicle. Designed originally for a diehard camping enthusiast, the company is bringing the complete vehicle into production and offering it to hunters, law enforcement agencies and even search and rescue teams. The XTV begins as a standard four-seat XP 1000 and undergoes major improvements to increase the storage and payload capacity. A complete DG Offroad cage provides protection for the passengers while more than doubling the storage capacity. Up top you can find 16 gallons of extra fuel, a pelican gun case and a spare 33-inch eight-ply Kevlar-infused Goodyear Wrangler tire. DG looked to FOX for a shock solution that could handle all the added weight, which is more than double that of the stock vehicle. Other goodies include an SSV works complete audio package, Rugged Radios communication system, a WARN winch, PRP seats and a robust lighting package from Rigid Industries.

PODx Power On Demand Battery Pack
With battery technology advancing by leaps and bounds these days, jumper cables should already be a thing of the past. The new PODx power supply system is a pocket-sized battery pack capable of recharging your cell phone, tablet or laptop – and even jump-starting a full-sized vehicle. The innovative product comes in four variations depending upon your needs and is compact enough to toss in a glove box or carry in a purse or backpack. Class A batteries within the PODx means longer life, no excessive heat and stable power output compared to the competition. Each PODx comes with a DC charger, positive and negative terminal cables and a multi-functional USB adapter with virtually every connector you could possibly need. Sure, most of us carry jumper cables in the trunk or under a seat, but that doesn’t do you any good if you’re in a remote desert location by yourself. The PODx Power on Demand battery pack provides peace of mind no matter where the road or trail may take you.

Rigid Industries Go Pro Light Bar
While lighting technology continues to advance, it’s hard to bring new innovation to something as simple as a light bar that typically serves a single basic function: illumination. That being said, Rigid Industries has come up with a creative new light bar that incorporates a Go Pro camera housing on the bar itself. The camera draws its power directly from the light and is powered on and off via a simple dashboard switch inside the vehicle. Although the system doesn’t allow the user to start and stop recording from the cockpit yet, one can still remotely operate the camera via a smart phone and Go Pro’s free app. 

Rugged Radios Baja RZR
Looks can be deceiving, and as we watched the cover come off the new Baja RZR built by Rugged Radios our initial response was “Oh, that’s a nicely restored Bug.” By the time the cover was all the way off we realized this was no ordinary Bug. The Baja RZR is a concept from the mind of Rugged Radio’s owner Greg Cotrell. As a passionate desert enthusiast and a fan of all things old school, Greg designed and built the Baja RZR as more of a nostalgia project. From the pin-stripped wheels to the custom Gibson exhaust, Cotrell went to great lengths to keep this RZR looking and feeling just like an original Baja Bug, although the King shocks and HCR Suspension probably make it ride better than any bug ever built. The icing on the cake for us were the custom PRP seats with the integrated serape (or Mexican blanket), giving it a true “south of the border” feel.

Alba Racing Turbo YXZ
It’s truly amazing how quickly the aftermarket world can develop new products for a completely new vehicle. Following the release of Yamaha’s much-anticipated YXZ side by side, the folks at Alba Racing quickly went to work on their own YXZ and had this machine on display at the Sand Sports Super Show. The vehicle features a cage modified by Race Edge, PRP seats and a brand new Mountain Performance Turbo Charger. Mountain Performance bills the new turbo as bolt-on performance capable of putting out 155 horsepower on pump gas, and it is offering three available upgrades to increase the horsepower numbers into the 280-300 horsepower range. There were a number of YXZ’s on display at the show but this was our favorite. Now, to see this turbo charged vehicle in action…