What do you get, when you mix the iconic Jeep® Wrangler with the concept of a hot rod? The Jeep® Quicksand Concept is the off-road brand’s vision of the ultimate off-road hot rod machine. Quicksand was created for enthusiasts who love the sand life, a path the Jeep brand has announced that will be an important part of the brand’s future with vehicles like the all-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave.
The Wrangler-based concept features a longer wheelbase than the standard two-door Wrangler (JL). The body has been trimmed in the front and the rear, while the hardtop and the windshield have been chopped giving the Quicksand a longer, faster, and lower appearance. With an open-top and no windows, you are exposed to the elements of the outdoors and are able to take in the sound and the wind from your journeys.
Making that sound is a Mopar 392 Crate HEMI® engine with eight-stack injection, mated to a 6-speed Getrag manual transmission. To show off that 392 Crate HEMI® engine is “peekaboo” cutout in the hood and gasser-style downturned open headers add to the vintage hot rod feel. The open headers make sure that your neighbors or everyone at the sand dunes know that you are coming. The 485 horsepower and 475 lb.-ft. of torque combined with the lightweight construction of the Quicksand, is enough to conquer any sand dune.
Inside, the Quicksand takes a “hot rod” personality with a minimalist red interior, two front low-back bucket seats, flat aluminum door panels, tilt-out windshield glass, and a chrome roll bar. Gone is the back bench seat and in its place sits a fuel cell to provide that 392 HEMI® engine with all the octane it needs. A series of toggle switches on the dash control starting the Quicksand which states “ARM”, the lights, as well as locking the front and rear diffs. There is even a switch to activate the exhaust loudness from LOUD to “OBNOXIOUS”. A leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel from the Dodge Viper, adds more of a comfortable grip when running at high-speeds across the sand.
Now while the Quicksand Concept was designed for wheeling in the sand, it still maintains its off-road credentials to conquer most terrain. A set of 32-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires in the front and 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires in the rear on 18-inch vintage “kidney bean” alloy wheels not only give a hot rod stance to this Jeep, but it also marks the first time that Jeep has ever put staggered wheels on any of its concept vehicles. Quicksand also features a set of coilover shocks to help wheel travel as you blast across the dunes.
The Quicksand Concept also wouldn’t be a Jeep concept if there weren’t a ton of Easter eggs throughout the vehicle. For example, there is an aluminum-milled vintage-style fuel cap with the text “Detroit Rock Fuel Only” written on it. A Warn winch is cleverly concealed inside the front-mounted Moon tank, while Jeep designers thought it would be funny to place a recovery rope inside the traditional drag racer’s parachute.
Overall, the Jeep Quicksand Concept has to be one of the most outrageous and loved concepts from the Mopar and Jeep brands. It also gives us a new take on what a modern-day Jeep rat rod, could be.
Jeep® Quicksand Concept Image Gallery:
