by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
Back then, they said this could be “the one”. A Jeep truck-ish prototype that could make the leap from merely a one-off designer’s creation into production reality. And in the process, bring an actual Jeep truck back into showrooms around the country.
Of course, back then was 2007 and though many in the Jeep community largely supported this concept — with one publication saying “it seems to be a no brainer that Jeep could and should highly consider this for mass production” — Chrysler’s Jeep JT Wrangler concept truck actually went the way so many others did over the years. Which is to say, not really anywhere but Moab’s Easter Jeep Safari, a few automotive publication articles and some automotive shows.
And then it was gone.
It would be 12 more years before Jeep finally put a truck into production, this time choosing the Gladiator name, but perhaps also paying homage to that popular Wrangler concept truck by using its JT moniker as the new truck’s designation.
The 2007 Wrangler JT concept truck took its design cues in part from the third-generation Wrangler, dubbed JK, which had recently been released, as well as the J8 model Jeep the company produced for the Egyptian military at the time.
According to Mark Allen, who was then the Jeep senior manager of Product Design, and now is Head of Design, the concept was formed with a chopped-up, two-door hardtop Egyptian Army JK Unlimited model that featured two doors and a truck-style cargo floor instead of a rear footwell. Then, a rear bulkhead was fabricated from a Dakota pickup box and a fiberglass cab. Its cabin retained the JK sportbar while the cargo box measured out to 47 inches wide by 61 inches long. As a finishing touch, the concept saw a non-traditional side opening tailgate added.
"It's very simple, which I think a Jeep should be," said Allen at the time. "It's the anti-bling."
The entire set up was dropped on a standard JK Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited chassis that featured a 116-inch wheelbase, electronically locking Dana 44 front and rear axles with 4.10 gearing, along with a Rubicon NV241 Rock-Trac transfer case.
It also sat higher than a normal stock JK Wrangler thanks to an added four-inch suspension lift and BFGoodrich 35” mud terrain tires on custom 17” steel wheels. The vehicle was powered by a 3.8L V-6 engine that was standard in the JK at the time. However, the engine proved quite a bit underpowered for the early JK owner and would soon be replaced in all Wranglers by the stronger 3.6L Pentastar that lives on today.
In keeping with those J8 design elements, the concept was finished with a light brown paint dubbed ‘Hearing Aid Beige’.
The Wrangler JT concept truck debuted at the 2007 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, and also was shown off during that year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jeep also took the vehicle back to Moab for the 2008 EJS, while showing it off at various automotive events across the country.
”Built from the military version of the all new Jeep Wrangler, the Jeep Wrangler JT showcases just how flexible this new platform can be,” Mopar said in a release for the 2007 EJS. “The JT dominated the steep climbs and descents on the slopes of the Hell’s Revenge trail (and) its 4×4 capability was established as it negotiated the slick hot tubs and waterfalls – at times, almost completely vertical to the ground.”
Oh what could have been with this two-door truck concept.
