LAS VEGAS—Daystar Products International, a plastics and rubber molder from Phoenix, won Transamerican Auto Parts' “Life is Better Off-Road” award for its moonshiner-inspired take on a 1941 Dodge Powerwagon dubbed “Bootlegger.”
The Powerwagon's 416-cubic-inch, 720-hp, supercharged engine, racing transmission, custom driveshafts and longer leaf springs made it stand out as off-road capable in a field of remarkable entries ranging from Jeep Rubicons to Titan XDs, Transamerican said.
Mark Turner of Daystar Products wanted to employ a bootlegger theme throughout the build, Transamerican said, and chose copper because it was the prime metal commonly used to make bootlegger stills. The engine sports a copper radiator hose and copper air intake while the firewall was changed to copper then covered with dynamite.
Completed in 50 days by a team of Daystar mechanics, the Bootlegger was driven to Tennessee for RockAuto Xtreme Off-Road Adventure (also known as “Whiskey & Wheeling”), then shipped to Alaska where it was driven on a glacier before its appearance at SEMA.