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This Is How Rugged a Jeep Gladiator Can Get with the Right Parts

Undoubtedly one of the most high-profile new car launches of 2018, the Jeep Gladiator quickly lost its mojo. In a market where people are suckers for pickup trucks and off-roaders, selling just a little over 40,000 units in about a year is not entirely encouraging.
Custom 2020 Jeep Gladiator 41 photos
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
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And more hurdles are on the way. Jeep is about to face some serious competition coming from Ford, who next week will be unveiling the new Bronco, a revival people are significantly more hyped about than they were with the Gladiator back in its day. Sure, the Bronco is not targeting the Gladiator per se, but the entire FCA house should feel the heat if the Blue Oval gets things right.

So, what is it about the Gladiator that Jeep messed up to make it mildly successful as opposed to much more so? We’re not entirely sure. The legacy is there (after all, we’re talking about a decades-old nameplate), the capabilities as well, and the looks are not half bad, so who knows?

Custom shops seem to ignore the Gladiator as well. There are just a few builds based on the Jeep pickup, and so far most of them not nearly as extreme as the machine would have deserved.

The custom Gladiator in the gallery above is somewhere between a full-fledged transformation and stock. Stock because it packs one of the available engines provided by Jeep, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that develops 285 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. Custom because it comes loaded with aftermarket parts.

The mean look of the pickup was achieved by propping it on top of a Mopar lift system and Fox shocks, ending in 37-inch wheels wrapped in Toyo tires. The front has been modified with the addition of a custom Road Armor bumper complete with a winch (a bumper of the same make was fitted out back) and LED lights.

Tube steps, custom-made removable roll cage with a spare tire carrier, and a hardtop painted to match the rest of the build complete the aggressive look of the Gladiator.

This particular Jeep is part of the car lot going under the online hammer of Barrett-Jackson. Just to show you how much interest there is (not) in the model, with two days left in the bid the price is up to $30,500. That's under the starting price of a stock Gladiator.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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