Jeep turned its Gladiator pickup into these epic concept trucks
The 2020 Jeep Gladiator was already pretty unusual – convertible pickups with removable doors and windshields are rare beasts – but the truck is getting even weirder. The automaker, along with performance parts division Mopar, has turned the Gladiator into six different concepts for the Moab Easter Jeep Safari, and there's plenty here to like.
Indeed, if your tastes swing toward "post-apocalyptic Mad Max getaway pickup" or "retro rockstar truck" then you're probably going to be excited. While Jeep won't be building production versions of the six concepts, Mopar will have a variety of aftermarket add-ons and parts to choose from for the regular 2020 Gladiator.
Of the six, here are our three favorites:
Jeep JT Scrambler: Because a stripe makes everything better
Old style meets new truck in the JT Scrambler, with the classic color palette and graphics of the CJ Scrambler meeting the new Gladiator Rubicon. That means white paint and a vintage amber top, finished with Punk'N Metallic Orange and Nacho body-side stripes. Mopar's parts catalog adds LED lights across the roll bar and the A-pillars, along with extra lighting on the front brush guard.
Jeep J6: The single cab pickup purists wanted
Jeep could've put a bed on the back of the Wrangler, but instead it made a whole new truck with the 2020 Gladiator. Now, it's imagining what a two-door, single cab version might look like. Spoiler: it looks very good indeed.
The Jeep J6 takes a Rubicon and then finishes it in Metallic Brilliant Blue, a hue reminiscent of the 1978 Jeep Honcho. Behind the two-door cabin is a six foot bed, a full 12-inches longer than the 2020 Gladiator's five foot box. By dropping the rear seats, however, the J6 is just 201-inches overall.
In that bed is a prototype spare tire carrier, which can handle the 37-inch rubber on the prototype 17-inch beadlock wheels. There's a 2-inch lift, a prototype stinger bar for the front bumper, and customized Gladiator rails with 2-inch steel tubing. Meanwhile the 3.6-liter V6 gets tuned up for more power.
Jeep Five-Quarter: Where old Gladiator meets new
Perhaps the most striking, though, is the Jeep Five-Quarter. Like the others it's Gladiator-based, though not the Gladiator which will arrive in Jeep dealerships this May. Instead, it's a "Pesto-Mod" of an original 1968 Jeep M-715, the military vehicle based on the first Gladiator truck.
The M-715's front sheet metal was swapped for a full carbon-fiber replacement, while at the back there's a new 6-foot custom aluminum bed. The convertible soft top roof has been dropped 3.5-inches, and the headlamps are switched for HID lights with LED auxiliaries. Gone are the original rockets, replaced with full-length rock rails, while the new Gladiator Rubicon donates its steel bumpers, and the Jeep Wrangler its seats.
60s power, meanwhile, has given way to modern(ish) HEMI madness. Specifically, the 6.2-liter Hellcrate HEMI V8, which delivers in excess of 700 horsepower. Jeep and Mopar route that through a heavy-duty link/coil suspension system, replacing the original leaf springs, to 20-inch deadlock wheels with 40-inch rubber.
As for how the regular 2020 Gladiator holds up in the rough stuff, check out our full first-drive report for all the details.