Story: Jonathan Millstein
Photography: Andrew Link
The Houston car scene has been painting the third coast for years with candy colors dominating the Texas landscape. While old-schools have tended to shine the brightest in the Lone Star State, former Houston Texan and current Buffalo Bill Mario Williams’s F-250 stands tall, ready to remind everyone why “Ford is the best in Texas.”
In Texas you can throw a rock in any direction and hit a pickup. Don’t, though, because they’re probably packing heat. To not be just another truck in the herd, Extreme Offroad & Performance in Katy, Texas, gave this Ford a major upgrade. The end result was a truck as dominant as Katy High School football.
“We wanted to do something unique, different than everything else,” says Austin O’Krinsky of Extreme Offroad & Performance. Down south, doing something different to a truck almost always involves a lift, and with an 8- to 10-inch Kelderman Air Suspension System, this F-250 soars above and beyond the competition. The attention paid to the suspension alone on this monster rivals that of many complete whips and reflects the personality of its owner. “Mario is real detail-oriented and wanted to make sure everything flowed and matched,” adds Austin. Accents of purple peek out from the wheel wells, matching the flares of purple spotted through the wheels and on the front and back of this nearly nine-foot giant.
As if the massive stance wasn’t intimidating enough, the Ford sits atop 22-inch Fuel Off-Road wheels wrapped in 40-inch Toyos, with the wheel lip custom painted to match the truck’s graphics. “We just wanted to go with a more grim, sinister-looking graphic,” says Austin. The result is certainly ghoulish—smoky flames with skulls wrap the truck, an eerie indicator to move out of the way when Mario’s truck (though you’ll most likely be staring at his undercarriage) appears in your rearview.
Although the outside presents a menacing appearance, the inside was designed with a clean, stock look in mind, all the while changing everything about the truck. “It’s two-tone leather and suede seats, suede headliner, painted dash, complete stereo system,” Austin says. “Everything was changed—just real simple.” Simple is, arguably, putting it modestly; the Ford hosts an entire JL Audio setup, including two 13-inch subs in a custom box behind the seats.
Thanks to Extreme Offroad, a once “bone-stock truck” has grown into a bone-crushing behemoth. Now breaking from the pack down in Texas, Mario’s Ford will find new life roaming the streets of Buffalo, New York, where it will undoubtedly, once again, stand out from the crowd.
Spec The Technique:
Year/Make/Model: 2011 Ford F-250
Performance: H&S Performance Mini Maxx race tuner; EGR Cooler Delete Kit; aFe POWER Stage-2 Cold Air Intake System; FLO~PRO Performance Exhaust 5-inch Turbo-Back System; black Rolling Big Power 5- to 6-inch exhaust tip; MAG-HYTEC front and rear differential covers
Exterior: Kelderman Air Suspension Systems 8- to 10-inch front and rear; Sway-A-Way reservoir shock system; AccuAir Control System; front drive shaft; AMP Research PowerSteps; Road Armor front and rear Stealth Winch Bumpers; Piaa 510 Series fog lights; WARN VR12000 winch system; Rolling Big Power RX mesh grille painted to match; custom airbrush paint scheme; black RECON Halo projector headlights and blackout LED taillights
Interior: JVC KW-NT800HDT navigation receiver, multimedia DVD double-DIN receiver; two JL Audio HD750/1 amps for two 13-inch 13TW5 subs in custom box behind seats, one HD600.1 amp for highs; four Hertz Mille MLK 2 TW 6.5-inch system sets
Ice: JVC KW-NT800HDT navigation receiver, multimedia DVD double-DIN receiver; two JL Audio HD750/1 amps for two 13-inch 13TW5 subs in custom box behind seats, one HD600.1 amp for highs; four Hertz Mille MLK 2 TW 6.5-inch system sets
Wheels/Tires: Custom air-brushed 22-inch Fuel 2 Piece Nutz wheels; Toyo Open Country M/T tires, 40/15.50/22
Shout-Outs: Extreme Offroad & Performance (extremekaty.com); Mario Williams
