One of the most popular Jeep® concept vehicles of the past few years has to be the 1965 Jeep® Wagoneer Roadtrip, which made its debut at the 52nd Annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari back in 2018. The Wagoneer Roadtrip tugs at the nostalgic memories of those who loved the classic Wagoneer’s of the past and adds a touch of modern flair to something taken straight out of a campsite in Lake Tahoe in 1965.
We had a chance to get up close and spend some time with the Wagoneer Roadtrip at a number of events in the Metro Detroit over the past couple of years and we still are in awe, every time we see the retro-Green painted full-size Jeep.
Recently, the man who was behind the design of the Jeep® Wagoneer Roadtrip, FCA Designer Chris Piscitelli got a chance to visit Jay Leno’s Garage with the awesome Wagoneer concept. There, the comedian and car enthusiast got a chance to not only check out the iconic Wagoneer but got some time behind the wheel. The Jay Leno Garage YouTube channel released the video earlier this week.
In the video, Piscitelli talks about some of the interesting little design cues and details that went into not only restoring the Wagoneer but for tying all of the added modern design cues into the classic design. Things like the toolbox created from the valve cover of this Wagoneer’s original 230 Tornado OHC-6 engine or the flipped over Chevrolet C-10 front bumper are little details that are particularly fun to hear about.
The 5.7-liter HEMI V8-powered Wagoneer had no problems looking good on the streets of Burbank, California and it makes us excited to know that an all-new modern Jeep Wagoneer is only about a year away from being produced. Hopefully, the new Ram-based Wagoneer (WS) can live up to all the hype left by the legendary Wagoneer (SJ) of the past.
1965 Jeep® Wagoneer Roadtrip Concept Image Gallery:
