February '97 issue
While the kids (Shannon and Randy) were playing, Shannon's father Don recognized what was going on and decided he would build a Jeep that could outdo both the youngsters. This Jeep became known as Pinky, and it would go on to be one of the original competition rockcrawlers. Pinky again was built to resemble a Jeep, but this time it was an entire round-tube chassis underneath with the rollcage built in for an extremely strong support structure. Like Shannon's gold Jeep-Buggy before it, Don's Pinky also used a leaf-sprung suspension. However, both Shannon and Don's rigs had four-link rear suspensions, Shannon's due to using shackles at both ends of his rear leaves and Don's because he had cut the leaf springs in half to build a quarter-elliptic rear suspension. Don's tube-chassis Jeep is often considered the first true rock buggy because it was in the magazine very early on and spent much more time in the limelight than either Shannon's or Randy's buggies. However, it was this small group of like-minded fellows who really brought a new twist to the craze of four-wheeling.
August '97 issue
Some people would consider all the previous rigs still Jeeps since they all look like Jeeps, and it wasn't until Soni Honegger and Heath Biggs showed up at the Moab Easter Safari in 1997 with their tubular construction that the term "rock buggy" really hit the pages of the 4x4 press. The story goes that they started with Heath's CJ-7 and removed everything except the transfer case, lug nuts, and license plate. They spent many sleepless nights fabricating in Honegger's shop in Fayetteville, Arkansas. However, this buggy, christened the Scorpion MK1, was more than just a bunch of tubes around a small-block Chevy V-8, automatic transmission with front and rear Scout Dana 44s, and 35-inch Super Swampers. It also had styling reminiscent of a military vehicle (do a Google search for the FMC XR311 and you'll see what we mean), as well as a suspension which incorporated airbags and front-to-rear equalizer bars that forced the rear axle to articulate in the opposite direction as the front. What really set this buggy apart from what had been done before is the fact that the chassis was also the body, and was built to allow massive suspension movement while still protecting the occupants and drivetrain from rocks. The Scorpion truly started the trend of building a buggy with no recognizable OEM look, which has had a split response from people over the years. Some folks love the pure performance goals of a buggy, while others hate the fact that they "don't look like anything." Whatever your view the Scorpion definitely got folks thinking outside of the box when building their next 4x4. Over time multiple Scorpions were built including a Cummins Diesel-powered version featured in our Aug. '00 issue, and some robotically controlled units currently in testing with the military. Nowadays Honegger is no longer building Scorpions, but the chassis design has been taken up by Preferred Chassis in Tucson, Arizona, where you can order your own tube machine today.
September '99 issue
Shortly after the Scorpion showed up there was another famous buggy on the scene from Avalanche Engineering-the Sniper. Avalanche Engineering is based out of Bayfield, Colorado, and back in 1999 the shop crew included Steve Rumore, Drew Barbour, and Eric Filar. These guys were wheeling some extreme trails and helped propagate the rock-buggy trend by also building a buggy with no recognizable OEM body, but definitely a unique look. The first Sniper was built for Troy Myers who owns the Badlands Off-Road park in Attica, Indiana, and unlike the Scorpion it incorporated a more tried-and-true four-link suspension front and rear.
February '00 issue
Eventually other Snipers were built including one on Rockwell axles which Steve and Drew competed with in many rockcrawling competitions. This was the time when rockcrawling competitions were really starting to grow and many of these early buggies were showing up at every one of them. Even though quite a few buggies were being built to compete, many of these early competitions were still won by ruggedly built Jeeps and trail rigs with experienced drivers. It wouldn't be long though before tube cars would take over the competition scene.
July '01 issue
While Colorado and Arizona were booming with buggy builders, one of the first to fabricate in California was Mike Hendrix. Hendrix's Rockota machine took some definite design cues from the Scorpion and Sniper, but reduced the size to utilize the ultra-tough components from early '80s Toyota mini-trucks. Using a 22R four-cylinder engine with dual transfer cases and Toyota axles made for a great little buggy with tall, skinny 38-inch tires. However even more than with his own early buggy, Mike along with his friend Eric "Camo" Linker, are credited with starting the Formula Toyota class in rockcrawling competition. This spec class requires all competitors to use Toyota truck frames and drivetrains but the bodies are replaced with Hendrix Motorsports weld-on chassis. This results in a very even playing field between competitors, while the buggies make great recreational vehicles as well. If you're interested in the Formula Toy class, check out Hendrix Motorsports in Santa Margarita, California.