Official Jeep 2007 Wrangler Pickup (Scrambler) Conversion Kit?
Date 2006/10/27 7:39:43 | Topic: Wrangler
|  The guys over at AllPar.com have done it again with some nice photos of a Jeep pickup based on the 2007 Wrangler. They're calling it a "Scrambler" (which has some history in the Jeep pickup heritage), but for now, it's just a car for this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas.
The vehicle was created by American Expedition Vehicles who has a long history in creating custom Jeep-based vehicles, including the AEV Brute - a Wrangler based pickup truck.
There currently appears to be some confusion (no doubt due to lack of "official" information) about the availabilty of an "official" Jeep pickup. According to AllPar,
Intrigued by what we saw, we dug a little deeper, and it appears we have unearthed a clever program that may finally return a pickup to the Jeep model-range. Set for an introduction at the SEMA show in about a week, this new pickup concept reportedly consists of two variations. Sources familiar with the strategy tell us that DaimlerChrysler hopes to produce these pickups in small volumes at the Viper Plant, using mechanicals from the 2007 Wrangler, while aftermarket kits will also be made available to fit previous-generation Wranglers. We'll have to await the official announcement in about a week to see exactly how the distribution and manufacturing details will be carried out. But a program such as these Jeep pickups, if our information is correct, is the perfect marriage of the SEMA show's current status: It's a major manufacturer future-product announcement with a clever nod to the aftermarket built right in.
While we presume that the '07-based pickups will be sold through Jeep dealerships, we're told that the kits will reportedly be available to transform 1997-2006 Wranglers into the pickups you see here. Sources suggested that the kits will cost about $8,000-$10,000 (assembly not included), and would require lengthening the frame with parts supplied in the kit. The truck we photographed had a wheelbase extended to approximately 119-inches. Whether the modern DCX-built '07-based trucks will differ in its proportions, or will have any unique styling cues is currently unclear, but our insiders tell us that the modern-build and kit versions are very much the same in look and feel.
The article continues with numerous updates regarding if/how/when an offiical Jeep pickup conversion kit will be available. Hopefully we'll all know more after the SEMA show in Vegas next week. Either way, check out the pics over at AllPar's site.
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