TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JON HANSEN
IN A WORLD OF LAID-OUT PICKUPS, SOMETIMES A BUILD COMES ALONG THAT REALLY GRABS OUR ATTENTION. Uncommonly built platforms are one of the most enjoyable features we have a chance to shoot not only because of the eye candy they provide, but because we gain an opportunity to show the world something truly unique. This 1992 Isuzu is so clean you could eat off of it. That being said, however, when Jeremie Leblanc of Gonzales, Louisiana, set out to save the Rodeo from the junkyard, many words described the small SUV—but unique would probably not be one of them.
Jeremie has been in the scene a long time. One of the highlights of his “glory days” was when his Integra-T hit print in 1999 in Mini-Truckin’ magazine, classic graphics and all. With a history like that, you know that would not be the last of his vehicle building days. Fast forward to February 2016, and Jeremie found the inspiration he had been waiting for—and it was about to head to the scrapyard. Even though all his friends advised him against it and told him the SUV was too far gone, Jeremie was in love and could not shake his feelings for what the future could hold for this Rodeo in the rough.