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Jeep Wagoneer: A Restomod With An SUV Flavor

PHOTOS JEEP WAGONEER: ICON CALIFORNIA

It is a fact that, for a few years now, the so-called SUVs are invading the automotive landscape. Before larger, now available in a somewhat more compact format ... Be that as it may, this idea of ​​a car burst with force when the Porsche Cayenne they began to be the favorite mount of supervening real estate developers. From there the concept grew, and now emblematic brands such as Rolls-Royce o Alfa Romeo.

For better or for worse this current seems to hold in the wire; Moving away from being a fad, enthusiasts claim that it is a trend that has come to stay. In short, these are not lines to assess SUVs - that would lead us to talk about the representative logics of emerging powers and here we are to read about old irons - but to understand where all this phenomenon comes from.

And as to illustrate the best thing is to exemplify ... Let's do it with What many consider the first SUV in history: the 1963 Jeep Wagoneer. Of course, widely altered with respect to its original layout to give rise to another of the vibrant r (restored-modified) that appear more frequently lately.

1963: THE YEAR THAT SOMETHING VERY CURRENT BEGAN

Settled in the 90s by automobile advertising companies, the term SUV -Sport Utility Vehicle- defines a type of car where off-road, urban and Gran Turismo go hand in hand in a kind of heavy, powerful, spacious vehicles with a high point of gravity… A mixture based on different concepts. And the truth, although the concept seems very current, all this comes from the very 60s.

It was at this time that the American designer Brooks stevens devised the Jeep wagoneer; an off-road vehicle but with a comfortable and friendly interior designed for leisure and day-to-day life. As a good American mount, the size was generous, but so was its habitability and finishes. In short: a saloon on the chassis and tires of an off-road vehicle that also worked on asphalt.

JEEP KAISER WAGONEER SUV ICON 1963 2018

The invention of such a revolutionary model took more than three years of development and 20 million dollars of the time in investment; in truth -and beyond taste- a technical feat in which it was not easy to combine an engine "Tornado"Of 3 liters, six cylinders and 8CV with a truck chassis on which such innovative equipment was mounted in a 4 × 4 as the power steering, the independent front suspension or the three-speed automatic transmission.

With all this, the Wagoneer quickly conquered thousands of American drivers who jumped to buy it during the 29 years that, through various evolutions, the model was marketed. An engine milestone that marked a giant leap from its predecessor: the spartan Willys Jeep Station Wagon derived directly of the mythical Jeep military of the Second World War.

JEEP WAGONEER: REFORMULATING THE CLASSIC

As we have seen, the Wagoneer is quite an iconic model in American motoring history. But… A certain 4 × 4 preparation company thought it could be improved. We are talking about the Californian ICON, which was launched to restore and modify a very first generation Wagoneer -because the model equipped with this specific grille was only in production for one year.

The result is truly spectacular in every way. Visually because the huge wheels give it a fierce look to the “monster truck", While the soft blue"Land Rover Tamar blue"- it is one of the models in which the Range Rover would be inspired years later- it gives a certain harmony to a set that is finished off with the replacement of the interior plastics by some showy chrome with an incomparable touch"Retro".

Mechanically… The work is worthy of admiration: beyond changing some components, the transformation started with changing the chassis. Thus, radically, a new base has been created prepared for the assembly of a V8 engine from General Motors capable of producing 420 hp. Something that, obviously, has conditioned the reinforcement of the frame and the change of elements such as the brakes.

In short, the creation of a completely new and original car that is dressed in the body of one of the most famous Jeep 4 × 4 classics. A restomod that can be looked at face to face with other specimens such as the 564CV Land Rover Chieftain which we talked about a few months ago. Quite a show.

JEEP KAISER WAGONEER SUV ICON 1963 2018

Yes, this one also has the value of being the “grandfather"Of the current SUV. And boy, although we will not comment on this segment ... We cannot help but think that its designer, the aforementioned Brooks Stevens, was during the 60s one of the first public champions of planned obsolescence.

That commercial approach that promotes the deliberate manufacture of products prepared to fail in a certain time ... While the consumer is crushed with aggressive marketing, creating artificial needs in order to generate new markets. Fashions based on quirky products of dubious quality. A good listener ...

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Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

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