“I was chatting with Caleb [Pro Touring Concepts] on the phone and he said ‘One of my customers just pulled out of a 300 Series build… if you’re thinking of [building one] you should jump on this one or it’ll probably be a 14 or 15 month wait to get another one,” begins Justin of how the Lorrimer family managed to add another stunning Landcruiser build to their fleet.
“I thought we’d start with a neat wagon build to see how it goes before we commit to chopping one in half and building it like we did the 200 Series!” he exclaims.
While the 300 Series has been available in the Australian market for some time, we’re yet to see any that have been wildly customized, and the Lorrimer’s tastefully tweaked VX variant may very well be one of the most modified 300 Series Landcruisers in the country.
Delivered straight from the showroom floor to Caleb Reed and his team at Pro Touring Concepts (the same team responsible for the Lorrimer’s dual cab 200 Series), the 300 Series was wrapped in a matte anthracite grey vinyl giving it a unique aesthetic, that’s tough enough to withstand the bush pinstripes when the crew take the 300 Series offroad.
Everywhere you look, the 300 Series has been decorated with ARB goodies including the front bar work, with ARB spotlights and an integrated Warn winch. ARB also supplied the GVM upgrade which comprises of trick remote reservoir shock absorbers, new control arms and bracing throughout structural components to help increase the 300 Series’ towing and load carrying capacity.
A rooftop tent is complemented by a modest kitchen set up integrated in to the rear shelving installation, where’ you’ll find a host of innovative and high-tech’ custom touches that boost the 300’s touring capabilities without detracting from luxury standard set by a brand new vehicle of this calibre.
For the 300 Series, the Trip In A Van family decided to go with a set of Open Country R/T tyres, explaining that the 300 Series will be working a little harder offroad than their 200 Series and caravan, all of which wear our latest generation Open Country A/T III all terrains.
“We run Open Country A/T III on the 200 Series and the ‘van - we get super good mileage out of them, they’re quiet, they’re smooth, they’re comfy to ride on. They’re great for the touring we do and beach work and gravel road and all that,” explains Justin.
“We’ve gone for Open Country R/T [on the 300 Series] because I want to do some harder 4x4 tracks and we think the Open Country R/T will handle the clay and mud a bit better. And so far so good with the highway driving! They’re awesome - not noisy, not heavy to steer and I reckon we’ll get good mileage out of them,” he adds.
“We’re on track to get 80,000km out of the Open Country A/T III on the other vehicle which is good going! If we can get close to that I’ll be stoked.”
The family are a great follow on social, including their YouTube channel which continues to grow and delivers quality touring content and travel inspiration - check them out:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tripinavan
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TripInAVan
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tripinavan
