Nobody can say Jeep doesn't have a sense of humor about itself. On top of a steady stream of special editions — including an ongoing program releasing a new limited-edition Wrangler every month for a full year — Jeep has a tradition of building a roster of imaginative concepts for the Easter Jeep Safari. The annual gathering in Moab, Utah, draws huge crowds of off-road devotees, and Jeep has used the rock-crawling occasion for years to showcase creative experiments with its current lineup and hints at upcoming Mopar accessories.
The standout from this year's Moab collection is the Wrangler Anvil 715. Built on a Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, the Anvil 715 sports completely reworked bodywork from the A-pillar forward, channeling the face of the Kaiser Jeep M715 military truck from the 1960s. The fascia angles forward aggressively, with a slender grille flanked by circular headlamps with a yellow cast. The effect gives the Wrangler a decidedly meaner look, and a custom shade of military-inspired drab green extends the armed-forces theme across the body.
Jeep designed the Anvil 715 as an overland expedition machine, fitting a fixed custom roof that adds four inches of height and incorporates integrated skylights. A roof rack handles any overflow gear. Limb risers — cables spanning from the hood to the roofline — deflect branches away from the windshield, and 37-inch tires on 17-inch wheels mean virtually no terrain is off-limits.
Off-road functionality runs deep: an onboard air system allows quick trail-side tire pressure management, auxiliary lighting handles illuminating the campsite, and heavy-duty steel bumpers front and rear provide protection. Power comes from the formidable 392 Hemi V-8, which produces 470 horsepower in production Wrangler form.
The interior features front and rear seats trimmed in custom cloth matching the exterior green, with the same hue repeated on the dashboard. A new display mounted and angled toward the driver runs the Trails Offroad mapping app. Military-inspired Wrangler concepts aren't new to Moab — last year's Convoy and the 2016 Crew Chief 715 walked similar ground — but we'd still love to see a classically styled front end make it to a production model someday.
The Laredo concept carries the retro theme forward, drawing from the Laredo trim's debut on the CJ — the civilian Jeep that appeared after World War II. Built on the current Willys trim as a deliberate nod to the company that created the original CJ, the Laredo pairs the 285-hp 3.6-liter V-6 with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Gold-and-brown graphics that look lifted directly from the 1970s cover the Laredo, with a brown grille surround framing the seven-slot silver grille, and matching stripes running across the hood and down the sides. Jeep's smaller half-doors have been fitted, paired with a custom hardtop featuring a manually operated sliding retractable roof panel.
The Laredo also carries 37-inch BFGoodrich KM3 tires on chrome 17-inch wheels with an unmistakably vintage character. Those wheels wear center caps sourced from a CJ, complete with the red, white, and blue color scheme from the American Motors Corporation era of Jeep ownership. A tailgate-mounted onboard air system rounds out the trail hardware.
The cabin earns the most attention with upholstery fabric featuring Southwestern-pattern inserts clearly inspired by indigenous art. Carpet has been removed and replaced with a vinyl floor that wipes clean after dusty trail runs. A charming detail is a cartoon-style dashboard sticker of a cowboy swinging a lasso.
Jeep's restomod entry this year is the Pioneer concept, which begins life as a 1984 Cherokee XJ. The donor car was reportedly in such fine condition that Jeep was reluctant to alter it substantially. The Pioneer received a two-inch lift and 17-inch wheels in 33-inch all-terrain rubber, but rather than cutting the body further to accommodate the larger tires, Jeep fitted custom fender flares with expanded openings that preserve the XJ's original proportions and low-slung stance.
Additional upgrades include a quick-disconnect front sway bar and integrated rock rails. The original tan paint and red beltline stripe are untouched, and the interior is essentially stock. One particularly creative touch is a custom trunk cooler fashioned from an original Apple Macintosh Plus box. Jeep also noted that the single-owner donor car arrived with a handwritten notebook recording every fuel stop over its four decades of ownership.
Jeep's annual Mopar showcase vehicle this year is the Wrangler Buzzcut, painted in bold Vitamin C Orange. The name refers to its primary modification: a roofline chopped two inches lower than stock. The lowered roof combines with a two-inch suspension lift and 37-inch tires to create a distinctive profile, sharpened further by steel bumpers, flat fenders, a Warn winch, a hood snorkel, and a spread of auxiliary lights. Under the hood sits the 270-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, fitted with a Mopar cold-air intake and connected to an eight-speed automatic.
Inside, custom leather and suede seats with orange stitching, matching orange seatbelts, and a Satin Titanium custom roll bar create a purposeful look. The rear seats have been deleted and replaced with a cargo-optimized setup featuring a lockable drawer system and Molle attachment panels for gear storage.
Rounding out Jeep's Moab lineup is the Grand Wagoneer Commander, which takes a restrained approach to modifying the brand's most premium SUV. A blacked-out theme runs throughout, with black paint and 20-inch black wheels tucked behind 35-inch all-terrain tires. The most prominent addition is a custom roof rack mounting an array of white and yellow auxiliary lights. Custom skid plates defend the underbody, while graphics along the sides evoke the wood-panel trim of vintage Wagoneers using a pattern drawn from the topography of Canyonlands National Park — the same design repeating on the sunroof. Olive green tow hooks add a final touch.
The final concept honors the Red Rock 4-Wheelers, the club responsible for organizing the Easter Jeep Safari. Based on a Gladiator Rubicon with the Pentastar V-6, it's packed with Mopar performance and off-road accessories. Seventeen-inch beadlock wheels carry 37-inch BFGoodrich KM3 tires, and a steel front bumper is accompanied by a Warn winch and supplemental lighting. A three-inch lift, onboard air, and a bed-mounted cargo rack with a rolling cargo tray are all part of the package, finished with unique graphics on the fenders and doors.
