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Every year, Jeep enthusiasts head into the mountains of Moab, Utah for an annual Jeep Jamboree - a celebration of all things Willys, Cherokee, and Wrangler. And every year, Jeep itself joins in the party and brings along a clutch of new Jeep concepts, many (if not all) of which are designed to show the Jeep faithful the depth and breadth of Jeep's options and accessories catalogue.
So, Jeep's concept lineup for Easter 2019 consists of...
The Jeep Wayout. This one is based on the new Jeep Gladiator four-door crew-cab pickup truck (a vehicle not yet, more's the pity, quite confirmed for European sales). The Wayout is designed to be a true 'overland' vehicle, capable of crossing countries without you ever needing to resort to tarmac nor hotels.
So, for accommodation, there's a big roof-top tent and a roll-out awning for a bit of shelter from the sun. The tent is designed to sleep two, while the awning gets built in LED lights so you can enjoy a book in the evening.
The Wayout gets two auxiliary fuel tanks, for added range, and an on-board air-compressor. The suspension's been given a two-inch lift kit, 17-inch wheels with 37-inch mud-terrain tyres, a winch capable of hauling 5.4 tonnes, and a Jeep Performance Parts snorkel for crossing deep rivers or standing water.
There's also a built-in set of drawers in the load bed that can keep all your belongings safe and dry, and power comes from a 3.7-litre 'Pentastar' V6 engine, driving through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The Jeep Flatbill is, again, based on the Gladiator crew-cab pickup, and has been designed to carry a pair of motocross motorbikes in the load bed. Those get built-in rear wheel ramps instead of a conventional pickup tailgate, while on the suspension front, there are Dynatrac Pro-Rock 60 front and rear axles, a four-inch lift kit, 20-inch wheels with 40-inch tyres, and once again the 3.7-litre V6 engine and an eight-speed auto transmission.
The Jeep M-175 'Five-Quarter' is a little different. It's not a new car, but a 'restomod' update of a classic 1968 Jeep M-175 one-and-a-quarter tonne (hence, five-quarter) military truck. This one's been given an all-carbon fibre front end, while at the back there's a custom load-bed with with a mixture of aluminium panels and wooden slats.
Instead of a lift kit, this one's been lowered by 3.5 inches, there are new LED headlights, rock rails down the side for body protection, and heavy-duty coil suspension replacing the original leaf springs. Additionally, the front axle has been pulled forward two-inches and replaced with a Dynatrac Pro-rock 60 front axle and a Dynatrac Pro-rock 80 axle in the rear, while 20-inch beadlock wheels are wrapped with large 40-inch tyres.
Inside, there are classic-look low-back seats, and the gearbox and transfer case have been worked into a re-purposed supercharger casing. Power comes from a 700hp(!) 'Hellcrate' Hemi V8 engine. Woof.
The J6 concept is a little more normal, and probably intended for production at some point. Basically it's a Wrangler Gladiator pickup with the four-door crew cab replaced by a two-door, two-seat layout and the rear load bed extended forward by 30cm for extra load-carrying capacity.
It gets custom Metallic Brilliant Blue paint, a homage to the exterior look of the 1978 Jeep Honcho, high performance LED lights, 17-inch wheels with 37-inch tyres, modified bumpers and rock-rails, LED roof lights, a removable hard-top roof, and the 3.6-litre V6 engine.
The Jeep JT Scrambler is a proper throwback to the original 1970s Jeep pickup, based on the CJ8 model. This one, aside from its none-more-seventies side stripes and graphics, gets a chunky two-inch tube rollover cage at the back, a battery of LED lights, with as much as 8,000 lumen power each, a two-inch suspension lift, 37-inch off-road tyres, and the 3.6-litre V6 engine. Inside there are Katzkin Amaretto Brown leather seats are bordered in orange thread, with the Jeep grille logo embroidered in a light Tungsten on the seatbacks. The dash panel and armrests receive the same Katzkin Amaretto Brown leather treatment with matching orange thread accents. The auxiliary switch bank offers a single location for operating accessories including the LED lights, and the Mopar bright pedal kit and all-weather floor mats also dress up the interior.
Finally there's the Jeep Wrangler Gravity, which once again is based on the crew-cab Gladiator pickup. This one does without a roof or doors entirely, gets eye-searing Punk'n'Metallic Orange paint, a load bed full of rock-climbing gear, the two-inch suspension lift kit, and a plug in the load bed that lets you rinse the whole thing out.
We'll take one of each, please.