Jeepster: A Bear of a Car
January 6, 1998 -- When Jeep's design team started to tackle Project Grizzly, it began as a what-if exercise. What if you could create a vehicle that was part sports car, part sport utility vehicle? What if you really could have the best of both worlds?
They imagined a car that could handle the road like a Miata, a truck that could swim through the sand like a Hummer, and a … well, Jeep, that could crush rocks like a Wrangler. What they came up with was the Jeepster, Chrysler's crossover concept car tha t was introduced Jan. 4 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Sporting classic round headlights and a seven-slotted grille, the Jeepster incorporates elements of traditional Jeeps but also adds high-tech style details, like the Quadra Trac II drive system and aluminum skid plates in the side sills, and a few quirky touches, like the military-esque radio and seats covered with the same leather you'd find on your favorite pair of hiking boots.
The powertrain on this baby could give NASA's Mars-mobile a run for its money. The 4.7-liter, SOHC 16-valve V-8 engine is identical to the one that will debut on the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. And as for the best of both worlds, the Jeepster 's electroni c four-wheel independent adjustable suspension has a four-inch range, giving the on-road driver a clearance of 5.75 inches for optimal handling, and the off-road renegade a clearance of 9.75 inches for serious rock hopping.
This 2 + 2 houses a driver-oriented interior module based on functional simplicity and ergonomics, according to a company executive. A color screen displays the navigational system with global positioning system (gps) capabilities for those directionall y-challenging treks into the backcountry that drivers of this vehicle would be certain to take.
The 19-inch sculpted wheels with nine-inch rims have Goodyear Extended Mobility Tires (EMT) which can maintain their shape for 50 miles after a flat, eliminating the need for a spare. They even have a red stripe and silver wheel spokes in reverence to Ho t Wheels tires.
In the spirit of the Wrangler, the Jeepster does include the grab bar, though it is moved to the passenger's side of the center stack, and it uses Jeep's classic diamond steel plating on the floormats and doors.
January 6, 1998 -- When Jeep's design team started to tackle Project Grizzly, it began as a what-if exercise. What if you could create a vehicle that was part sports car, part sport utility vehicle? What if you really could have the best of both worlds?
They imagined a car that could handle the road like a Miata, a truck that could swim through the sand like a Hummer, and a … well, Jeep, that could crush rocks like a Wrangler. What they came up with was the Jeepster, Chrysler's crossover concept car tha t was introduced Jan. 4 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Sporting classic round headlights and a seven-slotted grille, the Jeepster incorporates elements of traditional Jeeps but also adds high-tech style details, like the Quadra Trac II drive system and aluminum skid plates in the side sills, and a few quirky touches, like the military-esque radio and seats covered with the same leather you'd find on your favorite pair of hiking boots.
The powertrain on this baby could give NASA's Mars-mobile a run for its money. The 4.7-liter, SOHC 16-valve V-8 engine is identical to the one that will debut on the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. And as for the best of both worlds, the Jeepster 's electroni c four-wheel independent adjustable suspension has a four-inch range, giving the on-road driver a clearance of 5.75 inches for optimal handling, and the off-road renegade a clearance of 9.75 inches for serious rock hopping.
This 2 + 2 houses a driver-oriented interior module based on functional simplicity and ergonomics, according to a company executive. A color screen displays the navigational system with global positioning system (gps) capabilities for those directionall y-challenging treks into the backcountry that drivers of this vehicle would be certain to take.
The 19-inch sculpted wheels with nine-inch rims have Goodyear Extended Mobility Tires (EMT) which can maintain their shape for 50 miles after a flat, eliminating the need for a spare. They even have a red stripe and silver wheel spokes in reverence to Ho t Wheels tires.
In the spirit of the Wrangler, the Jeepster does include the grab bar, though it is moved to the passenger's side of the center stack, and it uses Jeep's classic diamond steel plating on the floormats and doors.
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