2000
Product of the Year
Back in the May issue, when we printed our first Cadillac Escalade front-clip swap, the parts came directly from GM. Pro Design in Santa Ana performed the swap and ignited a trend that is still going strong. The current-generation Escalade swaps are still hot, and there's a host of aftermarket companies making it happen.
2001
Product of the Year
In 2001, in-dash DVD players became readily available in the aftermarket. Since then, nearly every show truck ended up with a TV in the dash.
2002
Product of the Year
Edelbrock crate engines brought ready-to-run power to the people with the company's line of Performer motors.
2003
Product of the Year
In October, we had Katzkin Interiors recover the seats of our Comp Cruizer project. Since then, the company has made it easy for anyone to customize his vehicle's seats without visiting an interior shop with its presewn interior kits.
2004
Product of the Year
Superchargers and sport trucks have always gone together like apple pie and ice cream. When Magna Charger released its intercooled Radix line of blowers, unreal levels of power on pump gasoline were realized.
2005
Product of the Year
There are a lot of bolt-on, link-type air suspension systems on the market and most of them are really good. Air Ride Technologies took the idea of lowering your truck to the next level by designing its StrongArms, ShockWaves, and AirBar system to actually make our trucks handle better than stock. The company's Street Ride Challenge events have demonstrated the viability of its systems in performance applications.
2006
Product of the Year
The diesel performance explosion wouldn't have gained much steam without Gale Banks. Banks has been with us since the beginning, hopping up the Big Three's diesel trucks to run circles around their gasoline counterparts. The PowerPDA represented the ultimate combination of tuning power and organization.
2007
Product of the Year
Lifted trucks aren't going anywhere. It's a functional trend that won't die. So when AMP Research released its electric running-board-style steps, the company made lifted-truck ownership a lot easier to deal with on a daily basis.
2008
Product of the Year
Not to be outdone by all of the gas burners, Banks Power introduced a line of complete Duramax diesel engines. Now you too could get tons of power and mpg out of your project truck as long as you wanted an oil-burning soot machine. We mean that in the best way possible. Viva La Banks!