Mopar Underground Flexes Muscle With Jeep Lower Forty and Grand Canyon II

"It's a fun exercise," said Chrysler spokesman Scott Brown on Tuesday in a phone conversation with Inside Line. "It shows consumers what we stay up at night thinking about."

The concepts will be used to help develop Mopar's performance parts and accessories.

The "extreme" Jeep Lower Forty is spun off the Jeep Wrangler platform, Chrysler said, with the addition of oversized tires and wheels.

"The Mopar Underground crew added the aggressive wheels and tires to a stock, two-door Wrangler Rubicon without the use of a suspension lift," said Chrysler in a statement. "The team's goal was to achieve added ground clearance without altering the vehicle's center of gravity. To accomplish that feat, the team trimmed copious amounts of the body and fenders to provide the needed tire clearance. Once achieved, the team used a saw to chop out 3 inches of height from the windshield frame and increased the rake by 10 degrees."

Other details include a new one-piece carbon-fiber hood, a drop-down tailgate and Red Eye No. 3 exterior paint, a custom color.

The Jeep Lower Forty is powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 mated to a Getrag six-speed manual transmission.

The Jeep Grand Canyon II, which is spun off the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, is described as "the most luxurious off-road vehicle built to date by the Mopar Underground team."

"To improve traction for rock crawling, a set of 285/70R17 tires were mounted on a set of Wrangler Rubicon wheels and fitted with a Superlift 4-inch suspension system," noted Chrysler. "Off-road protection was provided with an ARB high-clearance front bumper and Mopar heavy-duty rock rails."

The Mopar Jeep Wrangler Overland is a camper's dream. The rear seats are replaced with a flat rubberized floor. Mounted to the cargo rack are a two-person tent and an awning.

Inside Line says: Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that the new Mopar parts and accessories will see the marketplace. Sadly, however, the Lower Forty, the Wrangler Overland and the Grand Canyon II will not. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent