Spring 2022

The 16^th annual Lone Star Toyota Jamboree set a new attendance record with 670 trucks and over 1,200 people roaming Barnwell Mountain in Gilmer, TX. The event was held Thursday through Sunday, April 28 – May 1.

The well-organized event allowed participants to sign up for guided runs, instructional classes, and compete in the various competitions. With over $72,000 in prizes, raffle ticket sales station always had a line of customers. Another popular activity was the Vendor Meet-n-Greet event, which was dedicated to making sure the vendors had maximum visibility.

The city of Springfield is in the scenic Ozarks region of southwest Missouri and serves as a gateway to outdoorsy recreation extending into Arkansas. Surrounded by lakes, rivers, and hilly forests, the city is where O’Reilly Automotive and Bass Pro were both started, and where the famous Springfield Cashew Chicken dish was invented by David Leong. People drive from other states to feast on this Asian delicacy.

I consider myself particularly lucky to have owned this 200 series Toyota Land Cruiser from new, and it has been really enjoyable to see the vehicle evolve over the last six or seven years. When I purchased the Land Cruiser, it was late 2015, and the refreshed 2016 LC had already hit dealer lots. As a result I was able to negotiate an amazing deal on this “less desirable” older model. Were it not for that fortunate timing, I may have never owned a 200 Series LC.

Words & Photos by Jimmy Underhill

I decided on converting a 4x4 vehicle to electric power instead of a smaller vehicle, like a sportscar, because I was inspired by the new wave of EV trucks like the Hummer and Rivian. These new vehicles have departed from their rugged utilitarian roots. I wanted a classic, so I chose to convert a Land Cruiser.