At some point in your travels, you’ve probably heard someone call a car a “Q-Ship”. That term dates back about 100 years to World War I, when heavily armed ships disguised as merchant vessels would prowl the seas luring submarines and other ships into attacking. Once they took the bait, the ship would unleash its deadly arsenal and launch a preemptive strike. When applied to automobiles, it’s synonymous with the term “Sleeper”, and usually reserved for cars that don’t look fast but will absolutely blow your doors off. In the case of this 1990 Jeep Cherokee Wagoneer for sale on the List of Craigs, the doors being blown off are the least of its worries. You see, this Jeep may look like the one your Aunt Mildred used to pilot to church every Sunday back in the early 1990’s, but it’s hiding some crazy secrets, just like the real Q-Ships did in the wars of the 20th Century. Let’s take a closer look!

The XJ-based Cherokee Wagoneer was sold from 1983-1990, making this 1990 example one of the last XJ’s to roll out of the factory with quad headlamps and simulated woodgrain. It’s also a rare Wagoneer Limited, which added upgraded seating with “Limited” embroidered on the headrests up front. Fancy! Other than the bumper mounted driving lights, this one looks clean and bone stock.

From this angle, one can appreciate the luxurious simulated wood to the fullest. Would you just look at it! Again, nothing seems out of the ordinary here.

Oh look, a trailer hitch! Great for hooking up the boat trailer and heading up to the lake house for a nice weekend, right?

Wait… Is that some sort of weird skid plate bolted onto that hitch, or perhaps, some sort of armor plating? Looking closer at the car, there’s details like this all over the place.

Pop the rear hatch, and you’ll see the battery has been relocated here and some very strange auxiliary lighting mounted inside. Also a nice touch is the broom handle holding up the hatch like so many other Cherokees with bad hatch struts. More about that in a minute.

Pop the hood, and you’ll see that there’s some weirdness afoot. First off, there’s another battery, and what appears to be a fire suppression system mounted on the passenger side of the engine bay. What’s up with that?

Yessir, that’s definitely a fire suppression system. Why would someone mount one of these in a family car? Are they overly cautious, paranoid, or something else?

Moving inside, you get your typical Jeep XJ stuff. It’s a little worn, but you can tell this is a higher end XJ from the cloth and leather seating and the copious amount of wood trim. Also, there appears to be a CB radio installed and some auxiliary switchgear on the console, which were common “Day 2” items added to many Jeeps.

Back when I was a kid, my uncle had a dark blue 1988 Jeep Cherokee Laredo. My cousins, having watched one too many police shows and 70’s trucker movies, somehow convinced my uncle that a CB radio needed to be installed in the Jeep. I remember sneaking outside with my cousins and calling truckers and dispatchers on that thing when we were kids. Whatever radio and switchgear that’s mounted in this thing is worlds apart from the Cobra CB we used back then. What is going on here?

Ok, that explains it. It’s less of a CB radio and more of a police-style external P.A. system, complete with an air horn and multiple siren modes. Now THIS is something I wish my uncle’s old Jeep had!

Ok, now things are starting to make sense. The switchgear on the console operates the dual battery system, an auxiliary fan, those weird lights in the back, and tear gas. Wait… TEAR GAS???

If you haven’t figured it out by now, this Jeep Wagoneer is not your ordinary family car. It’s an armored defense vehicle!

This is perfect for the person whose constantly getting chased by assassins, the overly paranoid, etc. The body panels are armored, and all glass except the windshield is “bullet resistant”. The front side windows don’t go down, and that’s because the front doors have”gun ports”. That’s right; you can rest assured that you can discreetly shoot back at whoever’s shooting at you. That stick holding up the hatch is due to the weight of the hatch; the gas struts can’t do their job with all that armor plating. It has all sorts of tricks up it’s sleeves, including those lights out back which serve to blind anyone who is following too close, and you can shut off the tail lights with a switch on the console for some sneaky nighttime getaways. And the tear gas? While the Jeep doesn’t have any currently installed, you can use the system to eject smoke bombs as well. No word on tire poppers or oil slicks, though.

So, there you have it: in lieu of undercover horsepower, this Q-Ship has some real defensive power behind the sleepy facade of a wood-paneled family vehicle. Whether you are constantly under attack and are looking for this type of vehicle to ease your mind during your daily commute, or you just want a clean XJ that hasn’t rusted into the ground yet, you can check out the ad for it HERE. 

And as always, see below for the full ad details!

1990 Jeep Wagoneer LTD.
Level B-4 armoring by O’Gara-Hess and Eisengart.
140XXX well-maintained miles
P/S. PB, cruise, COLD A/C, leather/cloth interior.
Tires 75% all around, including spare.
Recent: brakes/booster/master cylinder, water pump and hoses. Oil and filter changed and tires rotated every 5K miles.

It’s a WAGONEER, a rare version.
It’s almost 30 years old and in VERY GOOD condition.
It’s ARMORED.
Where you gonna find another car like this?

Entire cabin (top, floors, front, rear, sides) is Kevlar-lined. Glass is bullet resistant except windshield.
Gun ports in front doors.
Run-flat tire inserts in all tires except spare.
Automatic fire extinguisher under hood.
External P.A./siren system.
Rear blinding lights.
Rear lights can be turned off.
External tear gas system at rear: can’t get tear gas bombs, replaced with smoke bombs.
Dual batteries.
Separate switch to turn auxiliary engine cooling fan on.
Recent: brakes/booster/master cylinder, water pump and hoses. Oil and filter changed and tires rotated every 5K miles.
Weighs in 1,000# more than factory weight of 3,357#.
Factory tow hitch/package.
Front base plate to use the car as a towed vehicle.
NO rust.
Current Autocheck report and appraisal from 2012 available.

The BAD:
Power door locks don’t work.
Gas pistons don’t hold rear hatch open due to the weight of the Kevlar and resistant glass.
Driver’s front seat showing wear on lower left of seat back.

You can shoot out through the gun ports in the front door (through the sheet metal) but they are armored so bullets cannot enter through the ports.
Front door windows are not functional due to the gun ports. Rear door windows go down half-way (slowly) and back up.
You can turn the rear lights (lights, brake lights, turn signals) off if you are being followed at night. You can use the rear-facing driving lights to blind a driver that might be chasing you at night. You can set off the rear-mounted smoke bombs to hide the car.
A very nice, clean, nicely-maintained unusual vehicle that blends into the neighborhood. Only you (and those that you choose to tell) will know that you have an armored car.

I would always be asked if I was afraid of being shot at, to which my reply was “Well, not anymore”.