2016 KMC Jeep Bash: The Long Beach Invasion
The weather was absolutely beach perfect for this year’s KMC Jeep Bash Presented by Jeep. Held at the Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach, California, this is the second year that Nitto driver Mel Wade of Off Road Evolution has organized the event. We had a great time checking out the enormous collection of old and new Jeeps, and look forward to this new So Cal summer tradition continuing for many years.
Location! Location! Location!
The Jeeps lined up around the lighthouse on the bay, and the park provides spectacular views of the Queen Mary and Shoreline Village. After checking out all of the Jeeps on display, attendees can take a walk on the beach or visit one of the many restaurants in Shoreline Village.
Near & Florida
Three hundred Jeeps registered for the event this year, and people came from as far away as Florida to attend and show off their Jeeps. The Arizona Jeep Forum had a very large number of Jeeps at the event.
Goes to Show
Although there were a fair number of “show” Jeeps, many of the rigs on display are active in the local off-road community. There were more than a few that showed off their Jeep scars proudly. We were digging the battle-worn red wheels and Trail Grapplers on Excessive Industries Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.
JK's Everywhere!
Well-built Wrangler JKs like this one on Mud Grapplers dominated the event, but they weren’t the only show stoppers.
Willys Cool
This 1949 Willys wagon was one of our favorite classics from the show. Once of the nice aspects of west coast shows such as this one is the gathering of rust-free vintage iron.
Barbie Jeep 2.0
Even Barbie Jeeps got in on the action. This one from Dynatrac features front and rear coilovers! Barbie Jeep racers are getting competitive! See more Barbie Jeep racing at the world famous hammer trails!
Truck It!
One big trend we spotted was four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited truck conversions, which shows how badly the Jeep community wants a truck. Once limited to the Mopar JK8 and the AEV Brute conversions, we are seeing more people and aftermarket companies join in. This DV8 Hammer Truck conversion by DV8 Off Road converts a Wrangler Unlimited JK to a two-door pickup truck.
Raptor Killer?
Casey Currie was showing off his JKRK – Raptor Killer built on the JK platform.
GO!
GoRhino came out with its custom JK, which drew plenty of attention.
Rhino!
Our favorite thing about the GoRhino Jeep conversion is the lockable storage drawer for recovery gear in the front bumper.
