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Jeep Crew Chief 715 Dissected: The Details on One of Jeep's Coolest-Ever Concepts

MIKE SUTTON

From the June 2016 issue

Moab, Utah, with its geologically stunning slickrock, is a special place for the Jeep faithful and an idyllic playground for the brand’s 4x4s. It’s also the site of the Easter Jeep Safari, an annual off-roading celebration held around the holi­day weekend that draws thousands of four-wheelers to this desert outpost. While the event isn’t exclusive to Jeeps, the brand’s enthusiasm for it has resulted in the creation of some shut-up-and-take-my-money concepts over the years [see sidebar, below]. For this year’s shindig, which marked Jeep’s 75th anniversary and the Safari’s 50th, Jeep shipped out an array of one-offs that ranged from pet-bunny cute to mouth-foamingly crazy. The retro-militarized Crew Chief 715, however, was the one we most wish we could buy.

The Crew Chief is littered with “leet” alphanumeric spellings. Also see the hood sides: “53V3N-FiFT33N.”

Styling

Coated in Tactical Green paint, the Crew Chief’s design was inspired by the Kaiser M715 military utility rig of the late 1960s, which was based on the civilian-issue Jeep Gladiator pickup. The M715’s two-plus-year production run was short, but it still resonates loudly within the Jeep community. The concept’s strongest ties to the M715 lineage are its blunt, forward-canted snout and narrow, mesh grille. Styling flourishes are about as critical here as they are to a latrine, so the rugged Crew Chief presents as all business: custom five-foot truck bed, minimalist top, and front and rear winches integrated into sturdy steel bumpers.

Some shorten “nondirectional tread” tires to NDT. We prefer to call them BA. Inset: The air-compressor fitting in the driver’s-side bed mesh sparked some horrendous earworms.

Chassis

The Crew Chief concept may look ready for the frontline, but it’s mostly a stretched Wrangler Unlimited underneath. While the truck’s narrow, 40-inch-tall, nondirectional-tread military tires look properly old school, they’re wrapped around ­modern 20-inch beadlock wheels. Jeep upgraded the Wrangler’s live front and rear axles to beefier Dana 60 units, lifted the body by four inches, and fitted Fox Racing 2.0 remote-reservoir dampers. Keeping with the Kaiser’s functional mission, the Crew Chief features an onboard air compressor for inflating the tires and running air-powered accessories while in the shit.

Powertrain

Though the original Kaiser M715 was powered by Jeep’s 133-hp Tornado inline-six, the Crew Chief retains the Wrangler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6, which is rated at 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque from the factory. That’s hardly impressive next to some of Jeep’s other Moab concepts, but enough to get the Crew Chief wherever it’s needed. The concept adds the requisite cold-air intake and freer-flowing exhaust for improved breathing, while a stock five-speed automatic transmission handles shifting duties.

Interior

The Crew Chief’s modern Wrangler interior stands in stark contrast to its nostalgic bodywork, and it’s more luxurious than any 1960s-era Jeep driver could imagine. Inside, Jeep changed very little for concept duty, save for the canvas inserts in the leather seats. There’s also a huge navigational compass bolted to the center stack and four military-style toggle switches atop the dash for accessories, the air compressor, and front and rear locking differentials. Presence on the trail—and the auto-show stand—was the priority for this build, which is fine with us. We still want one.

GREATEST EASTER HITS

Jeep has been celebrating the annual Easter Safari by shipping out a truckload of one-offs for years. They reliably fall into a handful of categories: lightweight Wrangler, super-amped Wrangler, retro, military, retro military, and retro pickup. These are a few of our favorites:

TRAILCAT (2016)
This two-seat Wrangler stuffed with a 707-hp Hellcat V-8 and a six-speed manual checked Jeep’s crazy box this year. Designers stretched the wheelbase to make the engine fit, but the extra 12 inches can’t hurt its stability, either.

CHIEF (2015)
The Chief paired the Wrangler Unlimited’s chassis with a stylized body reminiscent of the Cherokee Chief introduced in the 1970s. Vivid Ocean Blue paint and floral-patterned upholstery lent a surfer-friendly beach vibe.

MIGHTY FC (2012)
A throwback to the Forward Control model of the 1950s and ’60s, the Mighty FC packed portal axles, which use geared hubs to place the axle above the wheel centerline and raise ground clearance. Tires that were 40 inches tall also helped it climb over just about anything.

BLUE CRUSH (2011)
Another concept for the nutty column, Blue Crush was a Wrangler Unlimited powered by a 540-hp Mopar 426-cubic-inch V-8. A Fox Racing suspension let its 39-inch-tall tires move through 16 inches of wheel travel.