Yahoo Autos Jeep Five-Quarter Concept Channels Brand's Military History
Based on the 1968 Jeep M715 tactical vehicle, the Five-Quarter concept is functional and stops short of caricature.
It's fitted with a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat "Hellcrate" Hemi V-8, which ought to provide ample grunt for off-road shenanigans.
This is one of six concepts specially made for Jeep's annual Easter Safari in Moab, Utah.
One of the first purpose-built tactical military vehicles to be derived from a production model, the original Kaiser Jeep M715 earned its "Five Quarter" tag in reference to its one-and-one-quarter-ton duty rating. With the Jeep Five-Quarter concept, Jeep has effectively reversed the evolutionary process and created an ostensibly consumer-usable concept vehicle from a military workhorse.
More than just a Sawzall-and-big-tire workup, the Jeep Five-Quarter concept starts with a genuine 1968 M-715 and features numerous powertrain and chassis improvements to ensure it doesn't embarrass its namesake legacy. A reinforced frame provides a stout base for a heavy-duty link and coil-spring suspension that supplants the original leaf-spring setup. A Dynatrac Pro-rock 60 front axle replaces the factory front unit and has been mounted two inches forward of the original one. A Dynatrac ProRock 80 axle is used in the rear, and 20-inch beadlock wheels wrapped with 40-inch tires reside at all four corners. Power is provided by a 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcrate Hemi V-8 engine-would you expect anything else?
Exterior changes are significant. A full carbon-fiber front end replaces the original sheetmetal, and a six-foot custom aluminum bed fabricated with a mix of water-jet cut panels and wood slats rides out back. The convertible soft top has been dropped by 3.5 inches for a more aggressive look. Functional full-length rock rails stand in for the original rocker panels, and modified Jeep Gladiator Rubicon steel bumpers have been installed front and rear. Lighting has been updated: there are HID headlamps with LED auxiliary lights to light up the night out front, and LED halo lights have been installed in the original taillight buckets in the rear.
Jeep Wrangler seats replace the old-school backbreakers, with the headrests removed to keep things looking sleek. The aluminum door panels and instrument panel were created with a water-jet make for style and lightening. In a stroke of repurposing genius, a vintage 8-71 supercharger housing is used to encase the transmission and transfer-case shifters. A bed-lining treatment has been applied to the floor to add to the rugged durability.
As restomods go, the Jeep Five-Quarter concept is about as functional as they get. That the original Kaiser Jeep M715 was built in Toledo, Ohio, where both the original 1960s-era J10 and J20 Gladiator and current 2020 Jeep Gladiator JT pickup are produced, is just equal parts coincidence and karma.
('You Might Also Like',)
