Magnus Walker Believes the Jeep Grand Wagoneer Is the Next Great Collectible SUV

Fashion designer and Porsche collector Magnus Walker makes a case for the Wagoneer as well, and I’m not exactly surprised by his choice. “I’m not drawn to flashy new metal,” said the 53-year-old Brit who emigrated to the United States in 1986. “I’m always looking for the classics that excite me, inspire me, and that someone can afford to own without robbing a bank.”

Magnus first checked out a Grand Wagoneer in bone-stock spec, which can be considered the first luxury SUV produced stateside. Even though it’s more than three decades old, the body-on-frame SUV is tricked out with power seats, plenty of leather, climate control, and keyless entry.

The second Wagoneer detailed in the following video is a 1965 model unlike any other. Indeed, that’s the Jeep Easter Safari Wagoneer Roadtrip one-off concept from three years ago, which is hiding a HEMI crate engine under the hood with 350 HP on deck. The lengthened chassis and Dana 44 locking axles from a Wrangler Rubicon also need to be mentioned, along with a custom-built toolbox made from the head of the original AMC powerplant.

Needless to say, Magnus is genuinely impressed by the Mopar restomod with a wider track, coil-spring suspension, and fuel injection. But the million-dollar question is, can we consider the old-school Wagoneer a future classic?

Hagerty, the insurance company that sponsored the video, certainly thinks so. Transaction prices are slowly but steadily going up, and a good example will set you back $30,000 or thereabouts. At the highest end of the spectrum, concours-like models with numbers-matching everything can fetch $80k.