As some of you may have gathered, I’m in the middle of an ‘80s binge and this is American car week. The issue with ‘80s American cars is how unfamiliar I am with them, so some of the ones I thought I’d cover this week ended up being, well, not from the ‘80s. But there’s always old faithful, the Jeep Wagoneer. I usually have a couple of those in the cooler to break out in case of emergency.
And it’s a pretty one, at that. It’s a mid-‘80s Wagoneer made to look ten years older, in a way. The owner kept the correct grill, but deleted all the tacked-on trim that this Jeep would have had from new, such as rubber strips on the bumpers, the inevitable faux wood, etc.
And said owner opted to paint this Jeep white. A most unusual colour, especially for that era of Wagoneers. But somehow, it all works.
The finishing touch was to add whitewalls paired with old-fashioned wheel covers, which may still have been available for some MY 1985 Jeeps (not sure about that, but if you know, do drop a line in the comment section), but are not usually seen on Grand Wagoneers.
The least appealing feature of the Wagoneer’s late AMC period is that grille. The same folks who brought you the 1973-74 “pig nose” Ambassador, the Matador, the Gremlin… Well, what could you expect?
Just focus on the best angle, then. Which, in my opinion, has to be this one. Without the usual clutter of side trim and Di-Noc and with that immaculate white paintjob, this has to be the cleanest Grand Wagoneer I’ve ever seen in Tokyo. And they love these here.
Who wouldn’t love the killer combo of classic looks, AWD ruggedness and plush interior? Those seats look more comfortable than most couches, for crying out loud.
Seems the rear seats haven’t been used much, compared to the front ones. Another Japanese classic owned by a childless couple.
It’s a pity, as this kind of car has such a family vibe to it. I remember seeing these crammed to the rack with luggage and kids when we lived in the US in the late ‘80s, ready to take on the vastness of the Interstate network at 55mph…
I guess the mixture of nostalgia, whitewalls and gleaming brightwork did make yours truly fall for this Jeep a little bit. I’ll get over it, not to worry. On a strict no-cream-puff diet from now on.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer – The Elite-Ender Weekender, by Brendan Saur
Curbside Classic: 1979 Jeep Wagoneer Limited – Unlimited Appeal, by T87
CC Twofer: 1975 Jeep Wagoneer & 1996 Subaru Impreza WRX STI – Different Takes For Different Makes, by T87
Auction Capsule: 1976 Jeep Wagoneer – Driven to the Auction, by Jim Grey
CC Capsule: 1983-85 Jeep Grand Wagoneer – Chet Ripley Would Approve, by Jason Shafer
CC Capsule: 1983 Jeep Wagoneer Brougham – The Perfect Vintage Ride for a Rock-Ribbed Republican, by Jim Grey
CC Outtake: 1977 Jeep Wagoneer – Proto-SUV Baby Hauler, by PN
CC Outtake: 1983 Jeep Wagoneer Limited – And Some Mystery Cars, by Yohai71
Nice job “detoxing” it, but he should have replaced the grille with the classic early version too with the upright center grille. Or at least one of the late ’60s or early ’70s versions.
So you actually know this is owned by a childless couple?
Wow, quite an interesting find! Good looking truck, I like what they’ve done. Not everything ads up as a stock vehicle, though I’d have to do a little research to say exactly what. Wood delete option was available in late Wagoneers, but maybe not 1985. I’m sure GWs came standard with aluminum wheels, though I think those hubcaps were still on Jeep pickups in 1985. The wheel positioning is a little off on this one.
The biggest discrepancy is the dash. With the newer taillights, I’m thinking they put an older grill on a newer GW. 86 or later, I think. Hopefully others can nail down more exactly.
Yes, that dash started in 1986, so it’s not an ’85. It would be hard to pin it down exactly without more info.
My guess would be that it’s an ’87 or ’88. I don’t think the Cordovan interior was available until ’87 – and there was also a door pull on the upper door sills through ’86. In 1989, a rear wiper was added to the Grand Wagoneer, which this one doesn’t have.
Of course with all the modifications this vehicle has had, it’s hard to tell, but 87/88 would be my best guess.
I was there in 1985 and riding around in a new one. I was a special business guest at Keystone Resort in Colorado, and it was their CEO’s new ride. It was off-white with wood trim. By 1985, these weren’t “classics”, just dated. There were modern offerings from the competition. Also, imported European cars were big in the Colorado mountain resorts at this time. So I asked, ” Why do you have this Jeep?” He said it was because of the need for 4WD at 12,000 elevation. He told me that Keystone supplied Jeeps for resort duties, and his ride was part of the fleet deal.
AMC tried to upgrade with Renault bucket seats, but it was pretty much a tough vehicle with cheap interior appointments. Simple. Tough. At that time, obsolete.
Friends of our family when we lived in Towson, who lived in Bethesda, had the first one I’d ever seen, about a ’64 with the old style grille. They had 2 elementary age kids and it was a nice family car. It may have had that weird 6 cyl engine that had problems, as they had traded it in just a year or so for a Volvo 122 wagon that I rode in once a few years later. The beginning of our love for Volvos, and while engaged my soon-to-be wife bought a 122s in Dec of ’70.
There’s one of the old Gladiator pickups just a few blocls fro my house, very original in a beige-gold metallic paint and the old grille, late ’60s I’d guess. Been sitting there no plates for a year.
Is the C pillar canted backward, or is that an optical illusion?
Does this car win the award for longest essentially-unchanged body run, or does it belong to the Beetle?
Beetle, I think. As of this year, the Chevy Express has beat the Wagoneer (it will turn 30 later this year).
Impressive.
Like you I would not have known what was correct from what was incorrect. Unlike you, I would not have been sufficiently motivated nor disciplined to find out, but just gone “Nice Jeep”, photographed it, shived it onto the Cohort (if I remembered) and moved on. It does look much more tasteful and businesslike with the excess frosting removed.
Eighties American leather doesn’t seem to age well; yesterday’s Cadillac, and now this one. With the effort put into the rest of the vehicle, it’s a surprise to see that front seat hasn’t been restored.
Interesting modifications – you couldn’t pull this off convincingly with too many vehicles.
To me it shows how significant a car’s wheels are to its overall looks. Replacing the 1980s alloy wheels with the earlier hubcaps create such an impression, I’m 90% sure I would have assumed this was a 1970s example, had I seen it in person. Great find!