1992 Oldsmobile Bravada Desert Runner Is One Sick S-10

Plenty of people are modifying modern SUVs and pickups into off-road monsters. Heck, the Ford F-150 Raptor and the Ram 1500 TRX are sold to jump dunes from the factory. It's less common to see unloved cars get modified into high-speed desert runners, though. Did somebody say 1992 Oldsmobile Bravada? Someone in the back?

Daniel Peterson is a self-described Chevy S-10 enthusiast. He's been into the platform for more than 15 years, and although he has never built up an Oldsmobile Bravada, which shares its chassis with the S-10, of course, he jumped at the opportunity when one popped up for sale a few years ago. "I really like the square body four-door style and the Bravada has an awesome grill, nice interior, and body kit that I think makes it one of the best-looking [S-10s] to ever be produced," he told me. Of course it all started as a side project, but it's transformed into something totally unique.

The 4.3-liter V6 that originally came with the truck was promptly blown up, then came a 5.3-liter small-block Chevy, which was followed shortly thereafter by a 6.0-liter LQ9 truck motor. With new heads, a cam, and other speed parts, the latest engine in the Bravada makes somewhere around 500 horsepower. Plenty for an Oldsmobile.