About Us

Blue Ape is the culmination of over 20 years’ experience in the automotive aftermarket. John Eller, a Hickory NC native, has loved being under, over, in, and around motor vehicles since he was a teenager. He loves to customize all kinds of vehicles. He's an authentic "Pimp My Ride" pioneer. John's love of off-roading and 4x4 vehicles has taken him to Baja, the Mojave Desert, the Sahara in Africa, the red rocks of Utah, the highest peaks of Colorado, and the swamps of Florida for all types of off-road competitions. He has been an active member of the BF Goodrich Tires Support Team in Baja for nearly 10 years. In his 25+ years of automotive experience, John has designed, customized, and built vehicles from lifted trucks and sports cars to rock crawlers, pre-runners and awesome daily drivers. The number of vehicles that John and his team have built over the years easily numbers in the thousands.