It’s almost time for Jeep’s Easter Safari once again, held annually in the town of Moab in southern Utah. Here Jeep showcase some wild concepts that don’t usually make it to production but they do get Jeep fans stirred up with excitement.
Below are details on a few of these whacky and not so whacky concepts.
Jeep Quicksand
The Quicksand is a Wrangler with an elongated chassis, lowered suspension and its roof chopped low.It has been fitted with a 6.4-litre Hemi V8 engine.
Although the Quicksand designed for sand driving, its off-road credentials ensure that it is fully capable in any terrain. Itshas a staggered tyre setup (a trait never before included on any Jeep concepts) with 32-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tyres in the front and 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tyres in the rear, and coil over shocks, all on 18-inch alloy wheels.
There’s a ‘Moon tank’ on the front bumper and a recovery strap is housed on the back bumper, appearing like a drag racer’s parachute.
Inside you’ll find low-back bucket seats, aluminium panels and flip-down windscreen.
Jeep Luminator
As the name suggests this concept is all about lighting. Jointly developed by Magneti Marelli these include 7.0-inch LED headlights, upper bumper LED auxiliary lighting with cornering function, pillar-mounted spotlights and overhead LED spotlights and grille-mounted turning indicators.
Other features include a roof-mounted solar panel, a drone landing pad with lighted drone and removable spare tyre storage case, and an interactive display on the driver’s side rear window linked to GPS and internet services.
Jeep CJ66
This cute looking Jeep, the CJ66 has a 1966 CJ universal Tuxedo Park body, underpinned by a Jeep Wrangler TJ frame and rides on 35-inch tyres.
The CJ66 was first displayed at last year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. It’s fitted with a 5.7-litre HEMI engine that delivers 282kW and front and rear Mopar Dana 44 axles for extra rock-climbing ability.
Jeep Trailpass concept
The Jeep Trailpass based on the new Compass SUV that is due to arrive in South Africa in the second half of this year. The Trailpass is a modified range-topping Trailhawk model with a 1.5-inch lift kit for extra ground clearance and equipped with Mopar accessories.
Exterior features include black side mirror caps, a custom bonnet graphic, side stripes, tinted headlamps and tail lamps, and a Mopar/Thule roof basket with roof bag and traction mats.
The Jeep Trailpass is powered by the 2.4-liter Tigershark engine and mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The Switchback is another modified Wrangler on 35-inch tyres and fitted with an array of Mopar four-wheel drive specific products such as toughened Dana44 axles, heavy-duty bash plates and a four-inch lift kit with Fox shocks. It features see-through doors, LED lights and a front-mounted light bar.
The cargo area is fitted with a Mopar swing gate storage rack with first aid and roadside safety kits.