Photo: Streetside Classics
With the revival of the Gladiator not long ago, Jeep got back into the pickup truck game, one of the most disputed of the present-day American market. The model seems to be enjoying a success worthy of its predecessor, selling no less than 40,000 units in its first year according to Car Sales Base.
Jeep was involved in making trucks since shortly after the end of the Second World War. Back then, such a vehicle was called Willys Jeep Truck, and it was made as a 1-ton four-wheel-drive machine. Several variants were offered, but never something like the one we have here.
What you’re looking at is a Jeep pickup made in 1950, customized by an unknown garage in a manner that is hard to describe.
Now, the pickups made by Jeep back then were not easy on the eye, compared with what the competition was making, so we didn’t expect a build based on one to be impressive in this respect. But the upgrades fitted on it more than make up for any design shortcomings.
Riding on 15-inch Boyds alloy wheels at the end of an upgraded suspension system, the pickup rolls under the power of a 350-ci (5.7-liter) V8, much bigger than what Willys usually placed under the hood in the 1950s. We’re not being told anything about power output, but the Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor, Edelbrock intake, and overdrive transmission hint to some potent muscle.
But none of those upgrades are visible, and chances are you’ll not even want to hear anything about them once your eyes fall on the vehicle’s body. We see it as an incredibly disgusting mix of purple and beige that voids any merit this pickup might have.
The contraption is for sale, and it seems the marketing efforts are centered on the paint. The selling dealer advertises it as “a healthy dose of modern luster and shine,” one that more than warrants the $22,995 asking price.
What you’re looking at is a Jeep pickup made in 1950, customized by an unknown garage in a manner that is hard to describe.
Now, the pickups made by Jeep back then were not easy on the eye, compared with what the competition was making, so we didn’t expect a build based on one to be impressive in this respect. But the upgrades fitted on it more than make up for any design shortcomings.
Riding on 15-inch Boyds alloy wheels at the end of an upgraded suspension system, the pickup rolls under the power of a 350-ci (5.7-liter) V8, much bigger than what Willys usually placed under the hood in the 1950s. We’re not being told anything about power output, but the Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor, Edelbrock intake, and overdrive transmission hint to some potent muscle.
But none of those upgrades are visible, and chances are you’ll not even want to hear anything about them once your eyes fall on the vehicle’s body. We see it as an incredibly disgusting mix of purple and beige that voids any merit this pickup might have.
The contraption is for sale, and it seems the marketing efforts are centered on the paint. The selling dealer advertises it as “a healthy dose of modern luster and shine,” one that more than warrants the $22,995 asking price.
Google News