2024 Maxxis Custom 4x4 of the Year winner revealed

Ben Madden’s mighty 80 Series LandCruiser has been voted the Maxxis 2024 Custom 4x4 of the Year by the readers of 4X4 Australia.

To reach this result, we whittled down dozens of custom 4x4s featured throughout the year to just 15. We then put these finalists to a public vote, where Ben's 80 Series clinched victory by just 10 votes ahead of Mat Saban’s unstoppable GU Patrol. Ben Kingham’s 79 Series rounded out the podium.

In addition to the 2024 Custom 4X4OTY crown, Ben will also pocket a Maxxis Tyres voucher valued at $2000. Plus, our voter prize – a Maxxis Tyres voucher valued at $1000 – has been won by Matisse, who has been contacted privately by 4X4 Australia. Congrats mate for the easiest $1000 you’ll ever make.

The Custom 4X4OTY-winning 1991 Toyota 80 Series was in rough shape when Ben first acquired it, but it has since been heavily modified. The original 1HDT engine was swapped for a 1HD-FTE from a later HDJ100. The drivetrain was upgraded with a Marks 4WD kit for part-time 4x4, and both axles received ARB Air Lockers. The brakes were then overhauled with Bendix vented rotors, larger pads from a 105 Series, and a hydraulic brake booster.

The suspension includes three-inch Dobinson coils, Superior Engineering remote-res shocks, and radius arms. The rear features heavy-duty trailing arms and a Rampt Customs Panhard relocation kit. As a result, the Cruiser sits three inches higher and is equipped with either 325/75R16 Maxxis Trepador tyres for off-roading or Mickey Thompson Baja Boss tyres for touring.

Externally, the body was modified with a dual-cab conversion and a Raptor-lined chassis extension to fit a Trig Point canopy. Read all about it HERE!

Voting for the 2024 Maxxis Custom 4x4 of the Year was open from October 5 to November 8, 2024.

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