Trophy Rat is the unique hot rod pickup to hit the off-road with.
To stand out in the automotive industry, you have to make something functional and visually appealing. The latest shop truck of Keith Northrup is a nice combination of that and is designed to show what exactly his Northrup Fabrication business is all about. The Trophy Rat is a mix of long-travel trophy truck-lie suspension and rat-rod styling – 2 different path in the automotive world that rarely cross.
As in every great story, the Trophy Rat project wasn’t supposed to turn out this way as it started off in a totally different direction. Everything began with a blown 5.7 GM LS6 V8 that was to end its life in the metal recycler. Northrup started to build the rebuild engine and wanted to find a home for for it in a Porsche Cayman. A killer mid-engine German sports car with an American muscle powering it was the main idea. But, Northrup got a phone call that changed everything.
Trophy Rat : Hot Rod pickup made for the off-road path
His good old friend, Tyler Anthony, called him to let him know that he is cutting loose some project vehicles one of which was the 1937 International pickup that Northrup has been in love with for some time. Of course, he made a run for it and took it to the shop with a different idea on his mind.
Because the International was never really known for the quality of the frames, Northrup decided to get rid of the sheet-metal to suit his needs. The classic looks would still remain and the panels would become removable skin that hugs the new metal skeleton of the car.
The long-travel setup on this thing yields 14-inches of vertical whee travel and 6-inches of upwards suspension travel. Impressive, isn’t it?
The Trophy Rat engine was redone and a CBR Racing radiator was put behind the grille to keep the 300 ponies running cool. The top of the Trophy Rat pickup was chopped by 4 inches, the front and side windows were brought down to match and the back windows kept the stock size.
The Trophy Rat is sure fill of well-executed and at the same time small details and it took 2 and a half years for Tyler Anthony, Jason Blanton and Northrup to complete this project. A job well done! Trophy Rat video below!
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