2013 Jeepster heavy duty off roading SUV—OK, this one will probably be controversial as it hits the web, lol. Now that Fiat owns Chrysler, which owns Jeep, rumors have been swirling for months about Fiat-based Jeeps. I've seen countless renderings of the little Fiat Panda with bigger tires and a slapped on Jeep grille touting the new cars.
I've taken a slightly different tack with mine. I've kept the historic and rugged chassis of the current Jeep Wrangler. Seriously, it's just about the best off roader for consumers built today, so why not use it? I added a modified/stretched Fiat Panda body on top of the Wrangler chassis, utilizing the best part of that Fiat architecture—the modern cabin with all the built-in safety structures and features expected today. I've used many Jeep components—door handles, body clips, thick rubberized cladding, swing out spare tire, etc, to give this newly enclosed little SUV all the tried-and-true ruggedness expected of a vehicle with the name Jeep on it. Entrance/Departure angles remain the same as the Wrangler.
Brilliant job! I find the hood latches kind comical. If it used the Wrangles chassis no way would it be fragile, which small CUVs tend to be these days.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Woody! I really tried to butch this one up as much as possible by using those Jeep hood latches, etc! So many people have made fun of a Fiat Jeep, but I wanted to do one that would put that notion to rest...
ReplyDeleteAs far as photoshopped projections of mystery vehicles go, yours actually inspired some hope in me for the Jeep brand under new management. As a Jeep brand loyalist, I could dig it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kyle. Coming from a Jeeper, that's high praise!
ReplyDelete