Another crazy year has come and gone and man, what a ride! Now in our second year here at Slam’d Mag, 2015 was a spectacular success as we saw major growth and photographed some really amazing rides from around the globe. We are fortunate enough to have the best automotive photographers in the game keeping Slam’d Magazine looking fresh and well ahead of the rest. Looking back, it’s quite amazing to see the eclectic mix of high-quality rides that we were able to capture from all over the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, Europe, and more. When we first set out to bring you a digital magazine chock full of the baddest rides worldwide – regardless of genre – we certainly had our work cut out for us, but with a well laid plan and a world-class team we have exceeded even our own steep expectations – and that’s all thanks to YOU, our dedicated readers who crave the unique builds we feature and keep coming back for more! So please, keep on coming back, and most of all stay safe! If you are involved in an accident in your gorgeous trucks, make sure to contact a lawyer like Ketterman Rowland & Westlund to see if you are entitled to compensation. So without further ado, let’s get on to the competition:
The four categories our staff chose for the 2015 End of the Year (EOTY) awards were, Truck of the Year, Custom of the Year, Car of the Year, Show of the Year, and People’s Choice (voted on by our readers via the various Slam’d social media outlets). We also had a vote to honor our staff Photographers and chose a Photographer/Photo of the Year (The Top 15 Photos from 2015 can be seen HERE).
We split this story into the six categories, each one can be seen here:
Truck of the Year Winner | Custom of the Year Winner | Car of the Year Winner | Show of the Year Winner | Photographer of the Year | People’s Choice Winner
So without further ado, here are your finalists and year-end winners for 2015 Truck of the Year:
Slam’d Mag 2015 Truck of the Year
Mike Alexander – Slam’d Mag
Editor-in-chief | Founder
Truck of the Year: Australia’s Finest: Michael Ellard’s 1992 Holden Rodeo
Michael Ellard – 1992 Holden Rodeo
Best Truck is always the hardest category for me since I’m drawn to different styles of builds for different reasons. But there’s just no denying the extreme detail that went into this Australian-built Rodeo (Isuzu Pup for those here in the States). Every square inch of this truck has been highly modified and the color combo definitely pulls it all together with a high-end feel. All this aside, I think what really does it for me is the fact that Ellard built this truck to be driven – and driven LOW! Cruising centimeters off the ground is exactly what Michael Ellard intended, and if that wasn’t enough, the fact that this build was the culmination of paying homage to the late Laurie Starling of Chop Shop fame who had a hand in helping bring this extremely clean mini back to life seals the deal.
John O’Neill – JohnnyOPhoto
Slam’d Photographer | Editor At Large
Truck of the Year: Australia’s Finest: Michael Ellard’s 1992 Holden Rodeo
Michael Ellard – 1992 Holden Rodeo
This build personifies everything that a minitrucker stands for; custom everything. Re-imagining a platform, stripping it bare and making it something completely out of the box is what our lifestyle is built on. Opening that bed cover is like seeing porn on https://www.tubev.sex/?hl=hi for the first time, those copper hard lines against a silver frame and surrounded by HOK Brandywine paint is an amazing experience. I believe the elegant and traditional Australian nomenclature for something this exquisite is called a “Sick C*nt.”Sean French – Solo Films DVD
Slam’d Mag Associate Editor
Truck of the Year: HERRERAD: Carlos Herrera’s 2008 GMC Sierra
Carlos Herrera – 2008 GMC Sierra
Carlos Herrera’s GMC is just too smooth. The build represents the style and look that everyone can truly appreciate; classy but a bit edgy. From the full red interior to the custom graphics down the side, you just can’t go wrong with black and red. A timeless classic. Not to mention this Sierra looks amazing rolling low for both photo and video, and wearing that “McKiddie Edition” badge of honor is icing on the cake.
Frank Newton – BST Clothing
Slam’d Contributor | Official Apparel Partner
Truck of the Year: Don’t Cry: Sean’s Sadistic Iron Werks ’89 Mazda B2200
Sean Generotzky – 1989 Mazda B2200
My choice for Best Truck of 2015 is Sean’s Don’t Cry Mazda built by Sadistic Iron Werks. A truck of this caliber should be what people aspire to when building their dream truck. The attention to detail is second to none. From the body line inside the bed that mirrors the outside body lines, to the meticulous paint completed by AK Airbrushing & Autobody, this truck defines the term clean from front to back.
Nico Jarrett – Nico Jarret Photography
Slam’d Contributor
Truck of the Year: Enjoy The Build: Monty Rubart’s 1938 Chevy Pickup
Monty Rubart – 1938 Chevy Pickup
I had the great pleasure of photographing Monty’s 1938 Chevy truck for the Slam’d Mag feature and it was honestly the first time I had ever seen a classic truck with its wheels cambered in the rear thanks to the Jaguar IRS rearend. As an import guy that stood out for me, but above and beyond daring to be different with his classic Chevy build; Monty took this 1938 from rust bucket to a show winner and head turner and still enjoys driving his pickup as much as possible. Overall a cruiser that can hold its own at any show, but still able to hit the open road and that is what it’s all about!
Joshua Robinson – Solo Films DVD
Slam’d Contributor
Truck of the Year: Whiskey Bent: Tim Molzen’s 1962 Dodge Sweptline Crew Cab
Tim Molzen – 1962 Dodge Sweptline Crew Cab
How often do you see see one of these Dodges being built for show, especially to this caliber? Tim called upon the legendary Roger Burman and his crew at Lakeside Rods and Rides to tackle this crew cab. The custom Boyd wheels help complete the incredible stance and I’m a sucker for browns and tans. But the engine bay with custom engine cover has to be my favorite part of this build. The execution of this truck is so perfect I don’t think I would change a thing. The only thing wrong is that it’s not parked in my driveway.
Jason Ballard – Slam’d Mag
Slam’d Mag Feature Editor
Truck of the Year: Australia’s Finest: Michael Ellard’s 1992 Holden Rodeo
Michael Ellard – 1992 Holden Rodeo
Michael Ellard’s 1992 Isuzu Holden is a special truck with a timeless look that will live on for eternity. Who else has a completely smooth interior and dash with only the hidden Dakota Digital gauges in the custom headliner mount and a completely custom programmed iPad control system to control everything else, literally – EVERYTHING else. Enough said!
Josh Wilson – Slam’d Mag
Slam’d Contributor
Truck of the Year: Junkyard Dog: Australia’s Ultimate Mash Up
Richard Hallovic – 1974 Dodge D5N 600 ish
This ’74 Dodge is honestly probably my favorite vehicle of the year out of all the categories. And it’s not just because its patina’d and beat up a bit. It’s actually because a guy saw potential in a bare cab and front clip that were probably headed for the scrap pile and totally created something unique and badass out of it. Even down to the details of this truck in the interior really make this a one-of-a-kind build. I love to see guys who march to the beat of a different drum and this one just stood out for me.
Randy Johnson – Mini Truck Scene
Slam’d Contributor | Web Design
Truck of the Year: Total Eclipse: Doug Johnson’s 1999 GMC Sierra
Doug Johnson – 1999 GMC Sierra
I had the pleasure of looking this truck over in person at the Forbidden Fantasy show last year. The style of everything done here is perfect and there are so many subtle features that came out great. My favorite mod is probably the bed. The smoothed corners, wood bed floor, and huge LED look awesome, but the shortened top rails and slanted rear takes this truck to a whole new level of awesome.
Avit Toasty Chauhan – Toast Graphics
Slam’d Mag Australia Editor
Truck of the Year: Australia’s Finest: Michael Ellard’s 1992 Holden Rodeo
Michael Ellard – 1992 Holden Rodeo
The quality of this truck has set the bar for a lot of trucks all around the world with so many unique things done on it that haven’t ever been done before. The exterior mods, color, wheels, are all on point but when you get inside the cabin you really begin to realize just how crazy this build really is. The touch panel tablet that Ellard built from scratch is pretty insane, and this build has taken Aussie by storm.
Matt Hodgson – Downtime Designs
Slam’d Mag Art Director
Truck of the Year: Stella: Doug Cerri’s 1957 Chevy 3100 Pickup
Doug Cerri – 1957 Chevy 3100 Pickup
One word – STYLE! I love most everything about this truck. From the smoothies to the silver leaf accents, everything works together to make this Chevy just look super clean. A classy cruiser, this ’57 pickup is definitely one of the cleanest styled classic trucks out there, not to mention David Moore’s photos really make this feature standout from the rest.
2015 TRUCK OF THE YEAR
Best Truck: Australia’s Finest: Michael Ellard’s 1992 Holden Rodeo
Top honors for the 2015 Slam’d Mag Truck of the Year goes to the Michael Ellard’s Australian-built 1992 Holden Rodeo! Very well deserved as this is probably one of the most detailed vehicles ever built and the Slam’d Mag team Down Under nailed the photoshoot and video feature (special thanks to Avit “Toasty” from Toast Graphics and Mark Smyth from BAS1C Photography). Australia is coming out with some top notch high-quality builds and we’re glad to be a part of covering these amazing machines.
