Jeep calls its retro-look J12 concept vehicle the “Old Man (fishing) Truck.” It features a chromed “harmonica grille,” round headlamps and “pipe lights,” and chromed metal bumpers. (Tim Spell)
The cargo box is a full 6 feet long, and has a full-size spare mounted underneath. (Tim Spell)
Simplicity and utility have been key ingredients in Jeep design for years. Since die-hard fans clamor for basic Jeep cool, the company continues to be creative in building new Jeep versions with old-school styling.
At a recent Chrysler press event, showcasing its latest products, there was a sterling example of how Jeep creates fresh vehicles that borrow from traditional design. Standing out among a huge collection of new vehicles is a bright-red, retro-looking Jeep pickup, wearing “J12” badging with old-style lettering. It summons visions of a vehicle I’ve seen before, but was unsure where. After some head scratching, I turned to Mark Allen, head of Jeep design, for answers.
It’s a concept vehicle, Allen said, inspired by last year’s New Kaiser pickup concept, which was based on the Kaiser Jeep M715 military vehicle used during the Vietnam War era.
The J12 concept truck is “unmistakably Jeep,” but has a front-end look that hasn’t been around since the 1960s. (Tim Spell)
“When we did the New Kaiser, that worked,” Allen said, “so we wanted to do more of a civilian version. “This one we coded the OMT, which was the `Old Man Truck’ — we built an old-man’s fishing truck.”
The “J12” designation comes from the early Jeep trucks, which were designated J10 or J20, depending on weight class. Since the concept pickup was made for the 2012 model year, it was tagged “J12.”
Built from a Wrangler Unlimited four-door, the J12 wears a full-6-foot-long cargo box. In order to mount a spare tire underneath, the box had to be extended back and the muffler moved over. The roof, which is from a Mopar pickup kit, was shortened and its window removed to accommodate the 6-foot box.
Up front, Allen’s team didn’t go with the traditional seven-slot Jeep grille, but with a chromed “harmonica grille.” The look, he said, is “unmistakably Jeep. It’s another face that we own. Everybody seems to recognize that front end. It hasn’t been around since the ’60s. The front end was last on the J10 trucks.”
Round headlamps were a must, Allen said, and they’re teamed with chromed “pipe lights,” which were used on old trucks. Pipe lights were fitted on low-cost trucks in the early ‘60s in an attempt to add an upscale look.
“Chrome bumpers, they had to be part of the package,” he said, “not a plastic bumper, but a real chrome metal bumper.”
Stretched on the same wheelbase as a Wranger Unlimited are white steel wheels with chrome hub caps, wrapped with bias-ply tires. (Tim Spell0
The hood and the fenders are carbon-fiber replicas of Jeep’s original Gladiator from the early 1960s. The old-school design treatment also includes a windshield visor, which was called a “brow” on early trucks.
Looking at the J12’s profile, Allen said, “it just proportions out well. It looks natural — a white steel wheel with a chrome hub cap and a skinny bias-ply tire (900-16LT). It had to be — anything else would have been irresponsible.”
Powering the retro tires is Jeep’s new, more-potent 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine, which delivers 285 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s mated with a five-speed automatic transmission. Making it off-road capable, the J12 is equipped with heavy-duty Dyna front and rear axles, and Tru-Lok push-button electronic remote front and rear axle locking.
“It’s as capable as a Rubicon,” Allen said. “It works well. We had it out in Moab (Utah) and we weren’t kind to it.”
Inside, the basic-looking fishing-truck theme continues. A tall shifter sprouts from the floor with a round black knob topped with what Allen calls a “highly inaccurate bubble compass.” This compass definitely is for effect, he said, because the vehicle is fitted with a navigation unit.
The stock Wrangler seats were recrafted into a bench seat, metal surfaces were painted body color and the carpet was replaced with rubber flooring. Finishing off the back is a rack, which holds a fly-fishing rod.
“We focused the J12 toward Walter Matthau,” Allen said, “but the kids really dig it.”
Stock Wrangler seats were recrafted into a bench seat, metal surfaces were painted body color and the carpet was replaced with rubber flooring. The tall shifter’s knob is topped with a “highly inaccurate bubble compass.” (Tim Spell)
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