Ah, concept vehicles. One of the most fun, exciting, yet also disappointing aspects of the car market. Especially when Jeep showcases them for their annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari. Why disappointing? Because, chances are you’ll never actually see the models being sold by Jeep dealers. This is purely based on years and years of Jeep enthusiasts attending the yearly event, and then practically weeping when none of them become a reality. Even though I may not have gone to this year’s Safari, something that particularly cut deep was when I read a headline about a Jeep Wrangler being powered by the legendary Hellcat engine. Naturally, I got excited. Then, about 10 minutes ago (at the time of writing this article), I saw a headline that stated a dealership was selling Hellcat-powered Wranglers. I practically jumped out of my seat with joy, and scrambled to click on it.
When I did, there were only two being sold, and nobody has any idea how the dealership got their hands on one of these Hauk Designs (the company that made the two models) since Jeep confirmed this concept would never see production.
Let’s take a look at the Hellcat-powered Wrangler showcased at the 2016 Moab Easter Jeep Safari, and lament at what could’ve been…
The Jeep Wrangler Trailcat
The actual name for this beauty was the Jeep Wrangler Trailcat. Jeep decided to stuff a 707 horsepower/670 lb.-ft. of torque Hellcat supercharged V8 engine under a current-generation Wrangler’s hood. Then, they hooked it up to a six-speed manual, with the shifter actually featuring the Hellcat logo on it. To make it even more enticing, Jeep made sure to send that power to all four wheels. Naturally.
Just because Jeep shoved this monstrous engine under the hood of a Wrangler, doesn’t mean it was a normal Wrangler model from 2016. No, Jeep had to make it look even more badass as well. The Wrangler has been stretched 12 inches, with a two-inch chopped windshield. It sits on 17-inch deadlock wheels, and is embraced by 39.5-inch BF Goodrich Krawler tires. Because of this, the Trailcat has the burst of power needed to blast across a desert at full-speed or slowly crawl over rocks, thanks to the grip from the tires, transfer case, and proper gearing.
While the two sold by that dealership in PA have a 4:1 transfer case, and 4:10 gears with front and rear locking diffs, the specs could be slightly different – considering that the OG concept from the Easter Jeep Safari had a manual transmission, and the two currently on offer have the Hellcat paired to a Mercedes-Benz 5G-tronic automatic transmission.
For a final dash of flair, Jeep threw in Dodge Viper seats in the front, making the vehicle even more unique.
Dear, Jeep…
The two currently for sale were (or are) going for $130,000 a pop. If Jeep ever made this concept a reality, the price would most likely be less.
Dear, Jeep:
Please give us a stretched Wrangler with a Hellcat-engine that produces 707 horses under the hood for Christmas. We’ll be good this year, we promise.
Sincerely,
Every Jeep fan out there that loves to dump money into these glorious machines.
