A company based in California that’s run by a former Dallas Cowboys linebacker is looking to bring recreational vehicle manufacturing to Michigan.
Toro Bravo 4×4, located in Manhattan Beach, is working with Roush in Livonia to produce its 2024 Silver Spear all-in-one work truck, RV, and toy hauler for bicycles and motorcycles. The vehicle made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2023.
The multipurpose vehicle, using a Ford F-450 chassis as its base, begins production in January 2024 and will be available through RV dealerships in March. It will have an MSRP of $299,000.
“It’s an opportunity for Michigan to get in the RV game,” says Jeff Rohrer, founder and CEO of Toro Bravo 4×4. “Right now, 95 percent of the market is made in Elkhart, Ind.”
When Rohrer retired as a linebacker with the Cowboys in 1991, he put his Yale education to work as a line producer for television commercials — a few of which found their way into Super Bowl broadcasts.
Rohrer discovered that using the digital technology that made computer-generated images (CGI) possible also allowed for detailed digital prototyping of military projects, most of which he still can’t discuss. One project he can talk about is a set of pontoons for a C-130 cargo aircraft, which were 9 feet high by 40 feet long.
“Through special effects, we created photo-real, 3-D renderings,” he says. “Siemens then put our data into its system and stress-tested the pontoons. It streamlined the project from
seven years to seven months.”
And that’s how quickly the Silver Spear came to be.
“The team I was working with on that project are off-roaders and outdoorsmen,” Rohrer says. “They came to me with this idea about an RV that could double as a work truck and toy hauler.”
That was in December 2022. In February 2023, Rohrer and his team released a rendering of the vehicle.
“We created quite a buzz,” he says.
Rohrer had worked with Roush in the past, and decided to bring the Livonia specialty vehicle manufacturer into the fold. One design benefit is that the truck cab is separated from the rear box by a few inches, which helps keep it from shaking while off-road.
“Roush is an amazing company and a great partner,” says Rohrer, who adds that the goal in 2024 is to produce 300 to 400 Silver Spears, and jump to the thousands in subsequent years.
“It’s not fancy,” he says of his new Michigan-made vehicle. “We’re not taking the living room outdoors. The outdoors is the living room. You can sleep in it, shower in it, but it’s not like most motorhomes. It’s very utilitarian.”
