The Vigilante 77 Sunday dirt crew returned to Virginia City covered in dust and carrying plenty of stories. From air-cooled Porsches and oddball rally builds to Nick’s barbed-wire field repair, this is what the rally looked like when the dust settled.

Day 3 of the Vigilante 77 Rally sent the Sunday Dirt Crew charging across Montana’s fast dirt roads. A rally-prepped Porsche 944, a vintage Dodge on retired Crown Victoria cop-car bones, a yellow Land Rover Defender—and one big, fat, slow Lexus camera whale—made this the dusty finale we came for.

The Jackalope Drivers Club gathered at Roly-Poly Coffee Co. in Bozeman for the Vigilante 77 Rally send-off, where an eclectic mix of Porsches, rally builds, and muscle cars were unexpectedly upstaged by one tiny, bright-yellow Honda Beat.

The ultimate JDM maintenance cheat code. No brake lights, no cabin power, no horn—the Beat arrived looking like an absolute electrical ghost town. Here is how a quick-release steering wheel and a smartphone camera saved the day, and why I’m officially crossing my fingers that the fixes hold.

The wrap designs are officially on the table. A 1,600-pound JDM go-kart painted in Carnival Yellow demands a loud personality. From iconic blue-and-yellow Spoon Sports splits to aggressive Mugen geometry, here are the three racing liveries battling it out for the Beat—and I need your help picking the winner.

Think a Miata is small? Think again. When you park a 1991 Honda Beat next to a modern Fiat 124 Spider, the laws of automotive perspective completely break down. Here is a look at the hilarious reality of JDM kei car dimensions, and why scaling down means dialing the fun all the way up.

The ultimate anti-modern antidote has arrived. Forget heavy hybrid SUVs and numb touchscreens—this 1991 Honda Beat is a mid-engine, naturally aspirated, 8,500 rpm screaming JDM go-kart. Here is why Soichiro Honda’s final masterpiece is the most fun you can have on four wheels.

Forget the "hairdresser" stereotypes—this 1990s roadster has been resurrected for the apocalypse. Between the massive 32-inch mud terrains, the rugged external exoskeleton, and a custom flatbed that proudly bears the name "Booger Cookie," this NB Miata from Hell is built for pure chaos. It’s a Mad Max-inspired masterpiece that proves one thing: I bet this guy parties.

An old man’s take on why a 14-inch tablet and "stealthy" gray paint can’t replace the soul of a real truck. From Everest green to Underground gray, see why I’m sticking with my 80 Series while the rest of the world buys glorified calculators.

Experience the high-stakes theater of Hell’s Gate at Cruise Moab 2026. From the legendary "built not bought" 60 Series Land Cruiser of the Sons of Smokey crew to the absolute madman piloting a JDM Kei truck up the V-notch, the carspotting at the overlook proved that tire placement—and a little bit of guts—is everything.

Spotted in Moab: A factory-supercharged 1st Gen Xterra that’s a dead ringer for my brother’s rig, but with a "JOOP" twist. From grocery store chases to the mystery of its rotating ownership, this solid-axle-swapped unicorn was too clean to ignore in the desert sun

Don't let the modest white paint fool you. This genuine JDM Hilux is a "technical" sleeper, featuring a full solid axle swap, reinforced frame, and blue-ringed beadlocks. It’s an indestructible fourth-gen build that’s only missing one thing: a place to mount the machine gun.

When you're miles into the trail and your steering fails, you don't call a tow truck—you reach for the gear bag. After Kristian’s 1989 Land Cruiser snapped its drag link, we had to rely on "trail engineering" involving heavy-duty zip ties and ratchet straps. Here is how we managed to limp a 60-Series back to Whitehall with a turning radius that was more of a suggestion than a command.

Spotted: A classic Mercedes R107 SL-Class in downtown Bozeman that breaks every rule in the book. From studded snow tires in the spring to a straight-piped V8 that sounds suspiciously like an American swap, this convertible is pure Montana chaos. When you're in the club, you park next to the other tops-down—IYKYK.

Old steel, seasoned hands, and the ultimate Land Cruiser equalizer: the parking brake. While watching a group of masters wrench on a pair of weathered FJ45s in the Moab dust, I realized that whether you’re driving a vintage workhorse or a modern 80 Series, some mechanical gremlins never change.

My eyes say "Portal Axles," but my bank account says "OEM floor mats." I’m walking the floor at Cruise Moab 2026 and trying to decide which of these six-figure builds is worth the financial ruin. From LX700s on portals to 200 Series on 40s, here’s why I’m officially living in "Delulu-Land."

From massive wheel stands on the 3D Trail to the white-knuckle fins of Hell’s Revenge, these are the 'money shots' from Cruise Moab 2026. Featuring the best of the slickrock rollercoaster and a massive shoutout to the crews at Overland Cruisers and Cruisers and Company.

New shocks, old friends, and questionable speeds. We took the Land Cruiser out to the Tobacco Roots to shake down the new Dobinsons setup. Between dodging Angas’s Land Rover "photo bombs," keeping the dogs warm in the Montana chill, and discovering that 80 MPH on gravel feels a lot like a rally stage, it was a hell of a weekend. From the dive-bar charm of the Pony Bar to the precision rock-stacking at Potosi Hot Springs, here’s how the rig handled the dirt.

Looking at Joe’s Mazda mini truck parked there, I didn't just see a clean build; I saw a literal time machine. It’s got that stance—that specific, "I can haul a couch or a dirt bike, but I’d rather just cruise" energy—that hit me right in the nostalgia. Specifically, it took me straight back to my old Nissan Hardbody D21.

If you weren't around for the late 80s and early 90s, it’s hard to explain how much the mini truck scene defined "cool." Seeing Joe’s rig, I could almost hear the faint hiss of a cassette tape and smell the high-octane scent of a Montana morning. It was "Genuine for '89," and a reminder that when it comes to style, you should always bet on black

It’s a lift kit, chunky tires, and a winch that wouldn’t pull a tooth—all on a car that looks like a tactical blueberry. This lifted Smart Car has the payload capacity of a backpack and enough audacity to stare down a Land Cruiser. Is it capable? No. Is it legendary? Absolutely.