Apocalyptic Gladiatorial

Caesar Esparza from Chula Vista, California, had to get his dream truck all the way to the other side of the country, where builder Apocalypse 6×6 turns stock Broncos, Jeeps and RAMs into life-sized Hot Wheels. Caesar’s Apocalypse HellFire 6×6 started out as a mild-manned 2022 3.0L diesel Jeep Gladiator. Augmented with a fully-functioning 6-wheel drive, custom suspension capable of devouring the toughest terrain, plate steel Grumper, six 38″ tires, and a host of other refinements, Caesar’s HellFire is ready to take on hoards of walking dead. “The day after taking delivery, I took it out rock crawling on a trail they call The Valley of the Moon,” explained Caesar. “It did exceptionally well! The 6×6 aspect of it is what I like best about it. It’s the real deal.”

There is one problem. All that weight and the need to move six 38” tires is pretty substantial. The 3.0L EcoDiesel engine needs more power to get it all moving. That’s where Banks comes in. “I went to the Banks Installation Center and had them install the iDash SuperGauge, PedalMonster, and Derringer tuner. It’s so much quicker now. I have the PedalMonster set to CITY level 7 and the Derringer on level 4. It’s all still rather new, so I want to get used to each level before going to the next one. I don’t want to eat the whole cake in one sitting. The iDash is mounted in a Banks Stealth Pod at a perfect eye-level for me to keep an eye on things like my temps and regens.”

While the HellFire 6×6 was made for taking on the roughest of terrain, the attention has become its Achilles heel. “People are crazy! They follow me around,” says Ceasar with a smile. “It gets a little nuts because they’re slowing down or swerving around so that they can take videos and pictures. I just came back from Vegas where I went to a truck show, and I used valet. When I came back to get it, the guy who handed me the keys said that it was swarmed with people. A Cyber Truck was parked next to me and nobody batted an eye. With all the attention that it gets, I’m glad I had the Banks parts installed to boost my power output and get me away from the crowds. And to think, I have even more power available with just a touch of a button on the iDash.”