In 2013, American Expedition Vehicles took a Ram pickup project to SEMA that didn't even have a name yet. It was just called the Ram Concept, and it was jacked; like, it had done double the normal pre-workout using new-old-stock supplements from the former East Germany. That concept would become the AEV Prospector on 37-inch tires and the Prospector XL on 40-inchers, available in either four-door pickup form with a bed or two-door regular cabbie with an aluminum bed tray. The former has been on sale since debut to the public in 2015. The latter, an Australian Outback special sized for a megalomaniac Texan, gets released in small doses. Well, it's time again for another hit, AEV announcing it is making ten (10!) of the Prospector XL Tray Bed. Frankly, if not for the fact that Americans are obsessed with four-door pickups, we think these would have been gone ten seconds after AEV published the page with the announcement.
Prospector is a supplement package built on a Cummins-powered Ram 2500 or 3500. The standard kit literally raises the stakes with an AEV 3.0-inch DualSport suspension and Highmark fender flares making great big rainbows over 17-inch Katla wheels wrapped in 40-inch BFG rubber. An upgraded hydraulic power steering assist system gets those contact patches turned at low speeds. The 16.5-thousand-pound Warn winch with synthetic rope in the AEV front bumper should pull the roughly 8,000-pound rig out of most trouble. Behind the cab, an LED lighting package keeps aluminum tray contents visible round-the-clock, and a high-clearance tailpipe gets tucked under the aluminum tray. A custom, truncated rear bumper packs a couple more LEDs. On the off chance the driver manages to get the undercarriage in contact with the ground, a skid plate protects the intercooler.
That bundle starts at $29,977, making $90,000 the floor for conversions when starting with a 2500-series chassis. Considering AEV's reputation and truck prices today, that don't seem so bad to us. The hero truck in the photo is wearing a few options, though. The brush guard, front light kit, snorkel, vertical spare mount with the full-sized spare, and splash guards all cost extra. The side menu also contains diff covers for more undercarriage protection, AEV/Bilstein 8100 reservoir shocks, a paint appearance package available in custom colors with color-matched wheels, retractable side steps, an ARB on-board air system, and 41-inch tires if you want to float to the Amazon instead of drive there. Retractable side steps, which we'd consider all but necessary, are an option, too.
It's not clear how many are left, if any. Interested parties are welcome to get in touch with AEV. Virtual tire kickers with their eyes on virtual volcanoes are welcome to play with the Build & Price tool for the crew cab Prospector XL.
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