Photo: Ralph Gilles/Instagram
Remember how Sir Alec Issigonis drew the initial sketch for the Mini on a napkin, while enjoying himself in a restaurant? These are the kind of doodles that can be way more productive than the whole act that saw them being born and they're not confined to the past. For one thing, the Jeep buggy... thingie you're looking at is sketch Fiat Chrysler Head Designer Ralph Gilles came up with during a recent meeting.
The penning specialist posted his doodle on Instagram some hours ago, as it's no secret that the aficionado enjoys using social media - if you surf his Insta account, you'll also notice that he enjoys spending time behind the wheel of a restomod Alfa Romeo GTV (the one from the late 1960s-early 1970s) and how Doris, his wife, has become a racer herself.
Gilles, whose popularity rose significantly in recent years, when he was the CEO of performance brand SRT, dropped a brief explanation along with his sketch: "More board room doodles... hmmm... (uh in between subjects of course) if a #jeep [of course the designer wanted this to be found, so he used a hashtag] Wrangler & a Cherokee had a baby?"
And, as multiple Instagram users have aptly pointed out in the comments section of the post, this contraption reminds us of the Warthog from the Halo game series.
And it's not like Jeep hasn't dreamed about such toys in the past. Heck, it's enough to remember the Jeepster concept the carmaker introduced as part of last year's Easter Jeep Safari adventure, with this being aa 2018 Wrangler Rubicon impersonating the 1966 Jeepster.
So, is the famous offroading brand preparing us for what might be the coolest-looking vehicle of its lineup? Perhaps we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet, as the company has had such aspirations in the mid-2000s, when it introduced the Jeep Hurricane, which never made it past the concept car stage. Then again, the sheer thought of this requires a napkin (you know, to wipe off those tears of joy).
Gilles, whose popularity rose significantly in recent years, when he was the CEO of performance brand SRT, dropped a brief explanation along with his sketch: "More board room doodles... hmmm... (uh in between subjects of course) if a #jeep [of course the designer wanted this to be found, so he used a hashtag] Wrangler & a Cherokee had a baby?"
And, as multiple Instagram users have aptly pointed out in the comments section of the post, this contraption reminds us of the Warthog from the Halo game series.
There might just be more to this story
For one thing, the market is already preparing to welcome not-that-expensive offroaders that pack iconic looks. The examples range from the eagerly anticipated return of the Ford Bronco to the electric buggy concept that Volkswagen introduced back in March, at the Geneva Motor Show.And it's not like Jeep hasn't dreamed about such toys in the past. Heck, it's enough to remember the Jeepster concept the carmaker introduced as part of last year's Easter Jeep Safari adventure, with this being aa 2018 Wrangler Rubicon impersonating the 1966 Jeepster.
So, is the famous offroading brand preparing us for what might be the coolest-looking vehicle of its lineup? Perhaps we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet, as the company has had such aspirations in the mid-2000s, when it introduced the Jeep Hurricane, which never made it past the concept car stage. Then again, the sheer thought of this requires a napkin (you know, to wipe off those tears of joy).
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