Every year Jeep brings out some tasty treats to the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. This serves two purposes: it’s a kind of “thank you” to the legions of Jeep-loyal fans that descend upon the rocks, and Jeep uses the reactions from Easter Jeep Safari as a kind of barometer for what they bring out, which can range from simple dress-up kits to all-out concept vehicles. Last year Jeep brought out seven rigs, including the safari-ready Wrangler Africa, the WWII-inspired Wrangler Staff Car, and the retro and awesome Chief, which is a Wrangler made up to look like a two-door FSJ Cherokee…and which had us weak at the knees. Jeep has recently started dropping hints as to what will appear this year. We know nothing about them except names and educated guesses…and hopefully FCA will hurry up and just unveil them.
The Trailcat answers a question that somebody had to have asked. The Wrangler does not need the 707 horsepower of the 6.2L supercharged V8 whose name has become synonymous with all-American blunt-force trauma levels of power. It’s certainly based on a Wrangler, but what is questionable is whether or not it will be a JK Wrangler or (and this is simply a far-fetched guess at this point), an early JL prototype, disguised or not. Either way, the crowds around this beast will be thick.
The second teaser is for the Jeep Crew Chief. From what we can make out, we’re expecting another shot at a Kaiser Jeep/FSJ-inspired front clip, with this version possibly taking on the appearance of an M-715. Our bet is that this will be a four-door SUV setup with a hardback, either a Pentastar V6 or a diesel, and will share a lot of design elements with last year’s Chief. It could also lean towards the military side of the house, so we’d expect the Crew Chief to be fitted with the latest and greatest in recovery gear.
