Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Peterson.
Austin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Colombian coffee brought you TEXAS trucks. “I grew up watching American manufacturing slowly and painfully die. In my family, you’re either a carpenter, an engineer, or a mechanic. Pay cuts, downsizing, the death of the American Blue-Collar worker was like slowly peeling a band aid. College was my way out. I graduated, with no real idea of what I wanted except to “work for myself”. I started a coffee company in Los Angeles that brought me to the far reaches of South and Central America in search of the perfect bean. Their mountainous jungles taught me the Land Cruisers’ adventurous spirit. I grew up working with my hands. I loved carpentry, my family’s shop, and building things but I knew I could never make a living that way. U.S. manufacturing was dead. I came to love Colombia and lived there, finding Land Cruisers, restoring them, and importing them to the U.S. I obsessed over every detail, and it took years to get everything right.
I eventually grew homesick. I did what my childhood warned against and brought our manufacturing back to the U.S. It was rough at first. A small garage out of the back of my family’s house was all I could afford, but it felt great. I was proud to be building something in the United States in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised. We’ve spent years upgrading and perfecting our vision of the ultimate 4×4. Thousands of hours spent testing components means only the best goes into your Cruiser. Toyota produced amazing vehicles, but that technology is now half a century old. We’ve re-engineered these trucks and brought them into the 21st century to bring you quality without compromise—the perfect blend of modern and vintage. Our team is proud to build some of the most unique and high-quality trucks in the world. The recipe is simple. Classic Style – Modern Comfort – Unrivaled Performance.” -Austin Peterson – Founder
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Our first truck sold for $28,000, and I lost money on it. It took a very long time to get everything worked out, figure out where exactly we fit in the market, develop our idea of what these trucks should be, and how to build them efficiently. When we first started, I was buying trucks in Colombia (South America) that had been ridden rough in the jungles, farms, etc., and fixing them up at a small shop in Armenia. I was never happy with the trucks. They were great, but painfully slow, uncomfortable to drive, and had lots of little issues. It came down to three problems:
1 – Efficiently building them was almost impossible in Colombia. It was like wrangling cats trying to stay on top of the employees there.
2 – There was nowhere near enough budget for us to build them the way we wanted to.
3 – The original components are 50+ years old and just not suited for a modern day driving experience. Over time we raised prices, opened the shop here in Dallas, and began slowly updating the vehicles to what they are today. Today we’re essentially building our trucks. 100% of the components are brand new. We don’t restore everything. It is like a modern day Ford production plant. Now our trucks sell starting at $150,000 and are built with 100% brand new modern components and horsepower ranging from 300-700 (if you want to get wild). You get the best of both worlds: classic style and modern performance, power, and comfort.
Black Dog Traders – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
www.blackdogtraders.com We are a boutique car company that builds the best Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 series updated to modern standards. Our shop takes pride in the quality of our work, and we spend thousands of hours perfecting each truck. When it comes to a vehicle or project of this caliber, it comes down to the fine details. Everything on our trucks is top of the line and perfect. We agonize over all of it and take the driving experience to the next level. Although many of the styling cues are reminiscent of 60/70s era Land Cruisers, we craft our unique style and brand, which is apparent in the truck’s details like exotic wood paneling, extremely detailed and neat engine bay/drivetrain, every aspect of the truck is taken to the next level.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Passion is what drove me to start this company, and fulfillment is what I define as success. I find myself lucky to have found something that I truly enjoy doing. I’m extremely competitive and love business, but what drives me is a passion for these vehicles, exploration, the outdoors, etc.
Pricing:
- Our Daily Driver Model starts at $150,000 and, while still fully capable off-road, is geared more toward city driving and commuting.
- Our Outdoorsman starts at $180,000, is more rugged, has more HP and is built more for a mixture of both.
- Our Hunter model starts at $220,000, has a 556 HP Supercharged LSA, and is built to conquer anything you can throw at it on or off-road.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2442 Irving Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207
- Website: www.blackdogtraders.com
- Phone: 3109183885
- Email: austin@blackdogtraders.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackdogtraders/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackDogTraders/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/c/BlackDogTraders
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