2002 Ford Sport Trac - Split Decision

Talking with Des Holly, owner of this slick '02 Sport Trac, back in 2004, he asked me what he needed to do in order to be featured in Truckin'. Other mags had featured his awesome Ford, but he really wanted to get into the big book. Looking at the all-white Explorer, I recommended a two-tone with a graphic and swapping the spinners out for some billet hoops. Fast forward a year and a half and Des surprised the heck out of me by pulling up to Heatwave with his completely redesigned Sport Trac. Smiles all around as Des flipped the script on all of us by revamping the truck, front to back and top to bottom.

He and his brother, Ricky Holly, who owns this month's cover Silverado, both redesigned and recreated their respective rigs. Late one night, restless and thinking of what he could do to his Ford, Des scribbled down a pattern and graphic scheme to update his solid-colored truck. The next morning Des looked at what he jotted down and took it to Patrick Reed of Bad Concept who masterfully applied Des' rendition onto his show truck.

Before Patrick filled his paint gun, Alamo Customs, in Alvin, Texas, completed all of the extensive metal massaging. Now absent from the skin are the door handles, third brake light, rook rack, antenna, side moldings, tailgate handle, gas door, and even the tie-down handles on the bed, a step most Sport Trac owners aren't willing to commit to. With these pieces removed, it was time to put some parts back on. Clear corners, LED taillights, roll pan, billet grille, tonneau cover, and frenched Mercedes Benz lights on the mirrors completed the list of additions. Now it was time for Patrick to take over and apply the custom mixed blue, silver, and green graphics onto the smoothed canvas. One glance at the split two-tone that actually moves from one side to the other, and we all wish we could have artistic insomnia. Nice job, Des.

With the body mods handled, Des had the crew at Ekstensive Metal Works, in Houston, drop the Sport Trac using Firestone 'bags and a two-link in the rear. Each corner spins freely, thanks to XTC spinners bolted to the hubs of chrome 22-inch Axis wheels. Deciding to keep the spinners was a great decision, as the color-matched centers lend to the different-colored sides very well. Each piece of precious metal is wrapped in Pirelli 265/35R22 rubber. Performance mods were kept to a minimum, with the exception of the two additional batteries. No need for any go-fast goodies because once you're inside, you forget about the rest of the world.