zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Jeepster Beach Concept Is What Happens When You Stuff A New Wrangler In A 53-Year-Old Shell
Jeepster Beach Concept Is What Happens When You Stuff A New Wrangler In A 53-Year-Old Shell-September 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:24

Image for article titled Jeepster Beach Concept Is What Happens When You Stuff A New Wrangler In A 53-Year-Old Shell

Each year Jeep brings a handful of to its Easter Safari in Moab, Utah. While these more often than not tend to be rugged, rock-crawling forces of nature, there’s one guest of honor at this year’s event that’s a bit more laid back than the rest.

That rust-colored summer child is the Jeepster Beach concept. To create it, Jeep stuffed the guts of a 2020 Wrangler Rubicon underneath the body of a 1968 Jeepster Commando. Five years ago, our own David Tracy told us , and this rendition seems like the optimal one for the task.

Image for article titled Jeepster Beach Concept Is What Happens When You Stuff A New Wrangler In A 53-Year-Old Shell

Powering the Jeepster Beach is a , a no cost-added powertrain option on existing Wranglers. But whereas that engine normally develops 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque in production guise, this example is “custom calibrated” to pump out 340 HP and 369 lb-ft of torque. From :

The direct-injection engine uses a twin-scroll, low-inertia turbocharger mounted directly to the cylinder head, along with a dedicated cooling circuit for the turbocharger, intake air and throttle body for exceptional responsiveness, performance and fuel efficiency. An eight-speed automatic transmission mated to a 4:1 transfer case delivers power to 35-inch tires.

Yet the Jeepster Beach’s exterior belies its modern running gear. The concept sports a two-tone paint job, mostly clad in a shade of burnt orange appropriately named Hazy IPA, with a cream stripe encircling the beltline. Jeep calls that color Zinc Oxide.

Image for article titled Jeepster Beach Concept Is What Happens When You Stuff A New Wrangler In A 53-Year-Old Shell

Inside, the retro cherry red low-back seats and gratuitous stickers give way to modern amenities, like Stellantis’ Uconnect touchscreen system. Again, these are the innards of a current Wrangler in the body of a 53-year-old truck, so the effect is a bit jarring but nonetheless stylish and sunny. The chrome four-point roll bar completes the aesthetic.

Image for article titled Jeepster Beach Concept Is What Happens When You Stuff A New Wrangler In A 53-Year-Old Shell

Ditto for the old-timey badging. Something tells me if Jeep offered these as optional trim on existing models, they’d print money. Then again, the look would also be worn out after seeing them on every new Jeep on the road, so maybe it’s for the best that the designers save it for the concepts.

Image for article titled Jeepster Beach Concept Is What Happens When You Stuff A New Wrangler In A 53-Year-Old Shell

This Jeep works from any angle, but my favorite is the back. I’m no Jeep historian, so I was surprised by the Jeepster Commando’s funky inward-slanted tailgate and oversized vintage lettering. I want a boardwalk-bounding, surf-inspired spinoff of with this resto-mod as the main vehicle of choice, yeeting itself off sand dunes as obnoxious ska punk blares in the background. And I hate ska.

Jeep’s annual Moab party begins March 27 and runs through April 4. In addition to the Jeepster Beach, the company is also bringing an all-electric Wrangler Rubicon called Magneto. There’s a custom Gladiator with a plaid interior called Red Bare and a Wrangler fitted with an Orange Peelz interior.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Rivian Can Breathe A Sigh Of Relief — For Now
Rivian Can Breathe A Sigh Of Relief — For Now
Rivian is getting a discount on its future office space, Stellantis is picking up the pieces of German luxury automakers’ car sharing joint venture and many Ford Explorers have been recalled. All that and more in today’s for Tuesday, May 3, 2022. The electric truck and SUV startup will...
Sep 12, 2025
This Chevy Astro Commercial Is Insane 1980's Perfection
This Chevy Astro Commercial Is Insane 1980's Perfection
Remember the ‘80s? I don’t, but they did seem fun for the folks who were there — especially for . Something else that seemed quite fun: this batshit insane Chevy Astro commercial. I mean, just watch it. Take 30 seconds and watch this shit. I’ve never seen anything like...
Sep 12, 2025
Forgotten Cars: Nissan Altima SE-R
Forgotten Cars: Nissan Altima SE-R
There was a time when the Nissan made fun stuff for the U.S. that wasn’t just the GT-R or Z. Before the millions of boring CVT-equipped crossovers and Versas for people with bad credit, there were supercharged Frontier and Xterras, Sentra SE-R’s, and a Maxima that . One sport...
Sep 12, 2025
Thieves Steal 7 Camaros From GM Plant, Lead Police On Wild Car Chase
Thieves Steal 7 Camaros From GM Plant, Lead Police On Wild Car Chase
Thieves made off with at least seven Chevrolet Camaros straight from GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly plant in Michigan Monday morning, leading to a no-holds-barred police chase, one crash, nine arrests and the recovery of at least some of the stolen vehicles. Details are still hazy after the multi-car...
Sep 12, 2025
The Halo Show Does not Believe in the EV Future
The Halo Show Does not Believe in the EV Future
The most unbelievable thing in the so far isn’t super soldiers, human clones or even artificial intelligence. I can believe all of that; what I’m having most trouble believing is that is still around even in the distant future, which is what the show seems to suggest in recent...
Sep 12, 2025
Traffic Jams: girl in red — 'I'll Call You Mine'
Traffic Jams: girl in red — 'I'll Call You Mine'
My daily driver is a 1996 Chevy Suburban, and as a result, I usually end up listening to whatever’s on the local classic rock station or one of my numerous Van Halen cassette tapes. Thankfully, I got out of my musical shell just long enough to discover girl in red...
Sep 12, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved