In the mid-size segment, there’s nothing more expensive than the 2020 Gladiator. Jeep wants $33,545 before destination charge for the most affordable trim level, the Sport. Even at that price point, the owner will have to make do with roll-up windows.
The Launch Edition is $60,815, and guess what? Every example of the breed sold out in a single day, and this goes to show that Jeep can sell anything as long as the hype is big enough. The question is, where to go if you demand more suck-squeeze-bang-blow than the Pentastar V6?
Dynatrac Products came up with the Codex for the 2019 Overland Expo, and under the hood, you’ll find the Hellcat engine that Jeep utilizes in the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The V8 started life as the Hellcrate, which retails at $16,800 excluding shipping. In addition to the 707-horsepower engine swap, the Dynatrac Codex is 20 inches shorter than the bone-stock Gladiator.
The two-door rig was modified by America’s Most Wanted 4x4, a customization shop in Holly, Michigan. These people are much obliged to swap the 6.4-liter HEMI V8 in the engine bay of the Gladiator for $78,235 including the donor vehicle, and that’s a lot of greenback when you think about it.
America’s Most Wanted 4x4 is also responsible for turning the 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel into a 707-horsepower pickup truck, a preview for the Rebel TRX that Ram is developing right now. In hindsight, the aftermarket can do anything as long as the customer’s pockets are deep enough.
Turning our attention back to the Dynatrac Codex, the roof-mounted tent, bed cap, and roof rack are a few other highlights. Custom bumpers, auxiliary LED lighting, and off-road suspension round off the one-of-a-kind project.
Specialized in axles for off-road vehicles, Dynatrac also manufactures ball joints for the Ram HD and suspension lift kits for the Wrangler. In November 1988, Dynatrac became an official business. Four years later, the company moved out of the founder’s garage into a machine shop. Fast-forward to 2002, and that's when the ProRock 60 put Dynatrac on the map as an alternative to Dana.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News