Photo: Vigilante
A Texan company specialized in restoring old Jeeps made the leap of faith and started to rebuild them to modern standards. If you fancy a Grand Wagoneer with classic looks but also with a 1,000 horsepower Hellephant engine under the hood this is your best bet.
Restomods usually go as far as replacing various components and improving the looks of the vehicle, although the latter is not always a guarantee. In a few cases though, the company restoring a classic takes the time and revises everything, from the running gear to the chassis to make sure the new car is not only a looker but also safe to drive and comfortable. There is another way, though, and this means rebuilding the whole vehicle from the ground up using modern components.
Vigilante is the sister company of Jeep Heritage and was established with the ambitious goal to bring the classic Jeeps up to modern standards. The Grand Wagoneer is one of their signature products and Vigilante used CAD scanning of the classic SUV to create a new, more powerful chassis. This provides increased rigidity over the factory one, while also allowing for more modern driving dynamics. It is also best suited for other modern components that Vigilante builds into this modern classic.
For instance, the Grand Wagoneer gets Baer six-piston brake calipers, as well as Eibach springs and Fox dampers. These bring huge improvements over the 1984 stock SJ and allow proper handling of the powerful engines Vigilante packs under the hood. Every mechanical component is new, assuring increased safety and durability.
Depending on the budget, three Hemi engines are available to order. The base one is the 485-horsepower V8 used in many modern SRT and 392 models from Stellantis, offered for the base price of $295,000. The 707-horsepower Hellcat engine is a step up in power and comes with an additional $15,000 price tag. In the meantime, if you want a complete sleeper with a 1,000-horsepower under the belt you can specify the 426 ci Hellephant engine for $25,000 extra.
Vigilante is the sister company of Jeep Heritage and was established with the ambitious goal to bring the classic Jeeps up to modern standards. The Grand Wagoneer is one of their signature products and Vigilante used CAD scanning of the classic SUV to create a new, more powerful chassis. This provides increased rigidity over the factory one, while also allowing for more modern driving dynamics. It is also best suited for other modern components that Vigilante builds into this modern classic.
For instance, the Grand Wagoneer gets Baer six-piston brake calipers, as well as Eibach springs and Fox dampers. These bring huge improvements over the 1984 stock SJ and allow proper handling of the powerful engines Vigilante packs under the hood. Every mechanical component is new, assuring increased safety and durability.
Depending on the budget, three Hemi engines are available to order. The base one is the 485-horsepower V8 used in many modern SRT and 392 models from Stellantis, offered for the base price of $295,000. The 707-horsepower Hellcat engine is a step up in power and comes with an additional $15,000 price tag. In the meantime, if you want a complete sleeper with a 1,000-horsepower under the belt you can specify the 426 ci Hellephant engine for $25,000 extra.
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