Some of the notable features of the Sport Trac include a 4.0L V-6 powerplant that puts out 210 hp, seating for five, body-on-frame construction, choice of 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrains, white-face instrument gauges, and a cargo cage that extends the bed length to 6 feet. Other goodies include an optional hard tonneau cover, side step bars, an optional limited-slip rear axle, and an optional power moonroof. The Sport Trac was a creative introduction for Ford, and judging by early sales figures, the vehicle seems to be a winner. The pickup/SUV is also an excellent candidate for the aftermarket treatment, as evidenced by the large number of modified Sport Tracs we saw at last year's SEMA Show, the industry's premier aftermarket trade show.
The Sport Trac is a unique and impressive ride in stock format. However, when modified, the Sport in its name can take on new meaning. Such is the case with the vehicle seen here. Westin Automotive Products -- a leading manufacturer of exterior accessories such as grilleguards, lightbars, bull bars, step bars, and more -- wanted to create a Sport Trac that would be a real attention-getter. After one look at the finished project, we're convinced that the company achieved the intended result.
Dubbed the Tsunami, the Westin Sport Trac features a number of exterior mods and dress-up items, a wild paintjob, an aggressive stance coupled with trail-ready rolling stock, some performance enhancers, interior upgrades, and more seeing power in the form of fog/driving lights.
Perhaps the most dramatic modification to the big Ford is its colorful paintjob. The paint reflects a Tsunami theme with bright swatches of tropical blue and orange waves and artistically designed broken bits of yellow bamboo. The eye-catching paint scheme was expertly designed and sprayed by Vale's Kustom Kolor located in Buena Park, California.
Naturally, a Westin project truck needs to sport Westin products, and to that end, a Westin Sportsman 1-piece grilleguard stands on duty up front, while the company's Signature Series step bars are on call on the sides of the Sport Trac to ease egress and ingress maneuvers. Every Westin grilleguard is designed specifically for each vehicle to contour to the lines of the vehicle and provide an easy installation with no drilling required for about 99 percent of applications. Westin engineers designed the mount bracketry to use existing holes in the vehicle, and the company controls the manufacturing process from raw steel to electrostatic powdercoat finishing. The Signature Series step bars are completely manufactured by Westin, with in-house cutting, bending, stamping, polishing, chrome-plating, and powdercoating. The 3-inch steel tubing features a recessed step area with a molded slip-resistant step pad that will not fade, crack, or lift. No drilling is required to install the bars.
Additional outside styling cues are provided by a set of PIAA 520-series lights mounted on a Carr lightbar sitting on top of the cab, and powerful PIAA XT80s, which reside in the Sportsman grilleguard. Covering the Sport Trac's bed is a Can-Back canvas truck cap with roll-up sides. This nifty enclosure features double stitching, tough acrylic fiber, and an all-steel frame to withstand bed flexing. A Can-Back roof rack mounts on top of the cap and can support a payload of 350 pounds. A Hidden Hitch receiver is also on call for towing chores.
The Tsunami's menacing stance and aggressive rolling stock also makes waves, and the 4 inches of lift comes complements of a Superlift suspension kit. The ready-for-the-dirt Pro Comp 33-inch Mud Terrain tires are wrapped around 16-inch Center Line billet aluminum wheels. In order to provide for more efficient exhaling of exhaust gases and to provide a few additional ponies to the Sport Trac's 4.0L powerplant, a Gibson after-cat exhaust system has been bolted into place.
On the inside, Westin has added a few upgrades to make life easier for the Sport Trac's occupants. For entertainment, back-seat passengers can enjoy movies on a swing-down TMI Products Back Seat Theater screen that is installed in the headliner, and it receives cues from a Sylvania VCP unit mounted under the rear seat. The Back Seat Theater unit uses a 6.8-inch color monitor and built-in speakers (or wireless headphones), and operates via a wireless transmission from the VCP. Additional interior upgrades include carpeting and floor mats by Nifty Products, which are molded to hold mud and other debris and are easily removed for cleanup.
Westin's Tsunami is indeed a powerful force to be reckoned with. Bright and colorful, raised up and ready to strike, the perfect cargo and people hauler -- this Explorer Sport Trac is definitely on the right track.