Talk to anyone in the UTV industry and they will name SDR Motorsports amongst the top builders of the sport. Very few companies in the UTV game can match SDR’s endless progression and their relentless ability to produce vehicles that make people desire a custom UTV whether they can afford one or not. We have been honored to be on the receiving end of a handful of SDR builds that have literally changed the game. Black Mamba and our latest King Ranch have set standards for builders in the sport and have inspired a whole host of enthusiasts to go out and build their own over the top UTVs.
King Ranch wasn’t the only build that pushed the limits or standard of this years custom UTV builds. SDR busted out a Polaris RZR they called “Betsy” for the popular Destination Polaris show. Betsy was the ultimate in custom UTV. There was no detail or stone left un turned. Buyers from around the world inquired on the blue, black and silver sand monster it didn’t take long before a high end buyer from China insisted that Betsy be added to his stable.
SDR has access to many of their favorite builds. They are turning out multiple cars a week, all of which are show quality, so with Sand Sports Super Show on the horizon SDR had no lack of options for what they would put in their booth. But as is the case with all top builders in our sport, there was no way SDR was showing up to the 2014 SSSS without a neck snapping machine that once again let people know just why SDR is ranked amongst the best in our industry. They went to work on the car you see here and that we are proud to feature exclusively here on UTVUnderground.com.
The concept with this 2015 Polaris RZR XP4 was simple really. How can SDR top “Betsy” and what is the most radical build they can pull off inside of about a months time?
SDR has been talking of building a sand car inspired full-body car for years and finally all the pieces were going to come together. They have built several cars for a VIP customer in Doha, Qatar and when they put the concept to him about this idea for the SSSS he was on board right away and gave them the green light and the needed funds to build the ultimate RZR. This wasn’t going to be a cheap build, certainly not the “average UTV guys” build anyway, but one that people can see the endless potential for what you can do. The only guideline from the customer was for SDR to “build it as if it was our own”. From there they immediately got with Aaron and Pat from Next Level Aluminum Concepts and started laying out ideas for the project with the goal of debuting the car at the 2014 Sand Sports Super Show and setting the sport on fire!
Once Tim Berendes and his team at SDR knew how they wanted the car to look, the SDR team got together to design and build the custom all DOM Tig welded cage. They decided on it morphing into a two seater so they removed the C pillar to stretch the lines of the roof and completely removed the stock bed and taillights. SDR’s lead fabricator Shawn then went to work and got the RZR ready for the team at Next Level Aluminum. Aaron and Pat knocked it out of the park and seamlessly integrated the GlazzKraft full body kit into their flawless aluminum work. They then built a custom Carbon Fiber Dash to hold all the switches and the new digital Polaris instrument panel. OMF Performance took care of the insane 15-inch 3-piece aluminum wheels wrapped in STU sand tires custom grooved by the guys at Fullerton Sand Sports.
One thing that can’t be overlooked is the custom bed full of storage. Their are 2 trunk lids which open at the push of a button with the help of a couple electric actuators. Something no one else that we have seen has done. The turbo intercooler which is nestled in the back seat area is wrapped in the custom aluminum work also and looks like something out of a race car. Seeing the way the aluminum is contoured around the tubring on the a-pillars and roof is next level for sure and we would expect to start seeing more machines being built like this. One of my favorite features is how the aluminum side panels are customized to tie the GlazzKraft body kit into the build. Its insane the detail work that the aluminum guys did.
While we all know the factory suspension is totally adequate SDR insisted to go the extra mile, HCR Racing was the obvious choice for them. They install a ton of their kits and it fit the build perfect. For shocks SDR called on the guys at KING to outfit the machine with a full set of 2.5″ Internal Bypass shocks for all 4 corners.
I am a stock power kind of guy. I like the reliability and ease of maintenance. But when you are building the ultimate UTV you can’t leave the engine alone and SDR isn’t known for taking the easy road. A car like this needed some serious horse-power so they turned to their go to guys at The Pro Shop for a full motor build from top to bottom. K&T Performance stepped up and supplied SDR with their turbo kit and pistons and The Pro Shop handled the install and tuning. At 15lbs of boost this monster makes over 200HP to the wheels!!! Our XP1K video car that we built last year had 195 HP at the wheels, I know exactly what that feels like and its a feeling like no other!!
From there the team at SDR installed a rockin SSV Works stereo system that you have to hear to believe. Custom LED accent lighting from Radiant LED and Rigid Industries fill the interior and undercarriage. SDR topped off the machine with their exclusive Baja Designs ONX 37 inch ARC LED light bar which is contoured perfectly with their radius windshield and frenched into the custom aluminum roof which sports an automotive glass sunroof. YES, it has a sunroof!!
Once the RZR returned from Next Level Aluminum SDR only had a few weeks to get the new beast buttoned up. Haynie Design painted the GlazzKraft body kit, Full throttle Powdercoating took care of the gold and maroon candy coating on the shocks, wheels and perforated aluminum, and then it was up to the SDR team to git-r-done in time for the Sand Sports Super Show.
To build a car like this takes an amazing number of people to make it happen. The crew at SDR is the absolute best at what they do. It take a ton of dedication from everyone inside that building to turn a car of this level out in such a short amount of time. You don’t have to be a fan of SDR to admit that its a massive undertaking to do what they did. From the Production team to the install team everyone in the building played a big part in this build and Tim made that clear when we went over this build together.
“Our crew of Installers Kyle, Andrew, Dave, Danny, and Justin pulled it together and burned some serious late nights getting it ready to go on top of our already crazy schedule. Thanks Guys for always making us look good!” – Tim Berendes // SDR Motorsports
After hundreds of hours, countless changes and refinement what you see is the result. The team namd this one Christine, calling her Betsy’s evil sister… We can get down with that!! Whatever you call it, its the closest thing to a sand car we have ever seen from a UTV build. Some will say its too much, probably majority will say that actually, but what we say is nice work SDR! Thank you for pushing our sport!
Joey D.
Special thanks to our photographer Rusty Baptist for getting to SDR days before the show to get these awesome images!
SPECIFICATIONS
Builder: SDR Motorsports
Model: 2015 Polaris RZR XP4 1000
Chassis: SDR XP-RS cage system, SDR Opening Doors, SDR Front Bumper
Body: Next Level Aluminum Body, Roof, and panels – GlazzKraft Fiberglass fenders, GlazzKraft Carbon Fiber Dash
Suspension: HCR Racing Long Travel Suspension
Shocks: King Shocks 2.5″ IBP front and rear shocks
Wheels: OMF 15X11 Rear NXG3 wheels, OMF 15X8 Front NXG3 wheels
Tires: STU Custom Grooved tires
Seats: Twisted Stitch Seats and Belts
Stereo: SSV Stereo System – 2 Ten inch Subs, 4 6.5 Speakers, Custom SSV Enclosures, Kicker speakers and amps
Engine: 1000cc KT Performance Turbo Kit, KT Performance Turbo Pistons, Valves and Valve Springs. Carrillo Rods – The Pro Shop install and tune
Lights: Baja Designs 37″ Radius ONX LED Light, Rigid Industries A series rock lights, Radiantz LED accent lights
Photos by: Rusty Baptist // UTVUnderground.com – #rustybangers
