Two “Check that!” Jeeps

At Chrysler the Mopar division (the name is a combination of “Motor Parts”) the guys who supply OEM parts to pimp your vehicle with. And if you actually start looking at the Mopar catalogue for just Jeeps, you’ll find enough reading material for a few weeks.

Some time ago the guys from Mopar went into hiding in their workshops prior to the annual Jeep Safari in the Moab desert in Utah in the USA and came up with a couple of really unique Jeep concept vehicles. Some were based on the Grand Cherokee and others on the Wrangler. But the two that really stole the show were the Mighty FC and the J12.

Back to front. The Mighty FC concept is inspired by the Jeep Forward Control that was built from 1956 to 1965, and was built on a stretched Wrangler chassis. The cab is right at the front and the load box is a whole 2.4 metres long. It is fitted with portal axles (just like a Unimog), meaning that the diffs and side shafts are considerably higher than the middle of the wheels – unlike normal vehicles – making very good ground clearances possible. And just to make sure the tyres are up to the job, the Mighty FC is fitted with 40-inch tyres…

Retro bakkie. The J12 is based on Mopar’s new JK-8 pick-up (which is a Mopar kit to convert a Wrangler into a bakkie), but with a longer wheelbase, while the nose and bonnet’s styling gives a nod to the Jeep Gladiator of the 1960s and 70s. The load box is 1.8 metres long and the interior is a mixture of Wrangler and retro design, complete with white, vinyl-covered single bench seat.