These 2018 Easter Jeep Safari concepts are a treat
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The Easter Jeep Safari is an annual nine-day gathering of off-roaders in Moab, Utah, that draws in 4x4 fans from across the country, most of them driving vehicles from the event’s namesake brand.
Knowing a captive audience when it sees one, Jeep itself always shows up with a few working concept vehicles to build buzz and promote parts and accessories from the Mopar catalog. This year, it’s bringing a fleet of seven rides that run the gamut from mildly modified to extreme builds, but there are three that stand out from the pack.
Jeep Wagoneer Roadtrip (above)
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Jeep’s next big model introduction in a year or so will be the resurrected Wagoneer, so it’s cranking up the hype machine with a resto-mod version of the original. It stretched the body of a Craigslist-purchased Wagoneer five inches to fit on a fully-boxed frame, added fender flares and integrated rock rails, and swapped in green architectural glass to complement its “Mintage Green” paint job. Oxblood leather upholstery and a wicker headliner complete the old-school look on the inside. It’s powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 connected to a four-speed automatic transmission, has Dana 44 axles front and rear, coil springs and a sweet set of steelies with 33-inch BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain tires. Sadly, there’s no wood paneling on the sides, but this rig looks like it can take you very far into the woods.
Jeep Jeepster
The Jeepster is a custom Wrangler that hearkens back to its predecessors with a chop-top, raked-back windshield and half-doors but rides high on a two-inch lift kit and beefed up suspension. It’s been weighed down with a bevy of Jeep Performance Parts that includes LED lights, a steel Rubocon bumper and beadlock wheels with 37-inch tires. There is also a custom concept roll cage and a trunk-mounted spare tire carrier aim to make it that much more indestructible on the trail, even if it’s forebears were more for the street.
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Jeep Sandstorm
The most hardcore Jeep Wranglers come from the factory as rock crawlers, but the Sandstorm was built to fly. The four-door Wrangler Unlimited-based truck has a stretched wheelbase and a modified suspension with bypass shocks and 14 inches of wheel travel in front, 18-inches in the rear. A built-in air compressor can adjust the air in its 39.5-inch tires, and tubular bumpers and chassis-integrated cage offer protection if its driver manages to take it beyond its very extreme limits.