The place was abuzz with excitement. How could it not be? At the Overland Edition of the Gears on the Piers hosted at the Manhattan Classic Car Club (CCC), the place was full of iconic overland trucks, all anchored by four of Legacy Overland’s own arresting showpieces.

Cinderella of the ball: despite a DNA that stretches cars from a 15-year span, this RRC’s got it. Photo: R. Faussete

The event was co-hosted by the CCC, Legacy Overland and what is probably the world’s most stunning Land Rover magazine, The Drive, Alloy+Grit at CCC’s ice cool club house at Pier 76 in Manhattan on Saturday Feb 23, 2019.

Our FJ40, D90 and RRC. Photo: R. Faussete

The talk of the town were Legacy Overland’s four participating trucks: an LS3 swapped soft top Defender 90 in Keswick Green, a V8 hard top Defender 90 in Kaikoura Stone and black with wide body kit and custom interior, a middle blue open top Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 and - the Queen of the Ball - a Range River Classic in metallic Ardennes Green with just a touch of upgrades applied to it.

The two-door Range Rover Classic is a bit of a junk-yard dog - albeit pretty as hell. The car is a mix of a 1973 Suffix B frame with a 1983 body, 1987 front seats, engine a 1985 3.5L Rover V8 and a 5-speed late-80s gearbox. A bit of a suspension lift, LED headlamps, upgraded sound system, redone interior - boy, she’s something - and this build just resonated perfectly the crowd.

Ardenne metallic green on black with tan interior just checks all the boxes.

Overall, over thirty overland trucks spanning decades of engineering and different takes on what is needed to “get out there” assembled in the picture perfect installations of the CCC. There was a strong representation of Land Rovers of all colors and stripes, most notably a Forward Control 101 and photogenic rat-rod Series pick-up - and of course Defenders. Breadth of the overland scene was provided by Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40s and 60s, Ford Broncos, International Harvester Scouts, Mercedes G-wagens, and some more modern representation by a kitted out Jeep Wrangler and Subaru.

But hands down, it’s clear which four cars stole the show.