Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Jeep Grand Wagoneer
An American Country Adventure
Its middle name is Comfort; it’s the Rolls Royce of the four-wheel drive world. The grand old lady of luxury. Powered by a gigantic V8, this now-classic JEEP Grand Wagoneer was perfect for both crossing rivers and attending Country Club events. It was the best of both worlds – making no compromise between comfort and off-road performance.
The 1984 Classic Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Very popular among the American high society as a second car, this specific cruiser lived in the countryside of Nebraska and Massachusetts. I then shipped her to Italy. 186k original miles, she’s finished in very attractive midnight blue with brown interiors. Note the shaggin’ carpet. An all-original classic station wagon!
An American four-wheel drive icon
It was 1962 when KAISER merged with JEEP and a new category of cars was launched. It was not a just a 4×4 vehicle, it wasn’t a van, it wasn’t an industrial vehicle: it was the Wagoneer—the grandfather of all luxury 4×4 SUVs.
Replacing the Willys utility wagon lines, the Wagoneer was designed to provide passenger-car styling, comfort, and convenience with the advantages of four-wheel drive (4WD).
The revolutionary Wagoneer was filled with innovation and industry firsts: the first automatic transmission in a 4×4 vehicle; the first overhead-cam six-cylinder truck engine; the first 4×4 vehicle with independent front suspension; the first automatic full-time 4×4 system. The revolutionary Quadra-Trac® 4×4 system, introduced in 1973, was available in full-size Jeep® Brand trucks and wagons, and later in the CJ-7.
Styled by the famed industrial designer Brooks Steven, the Wagoneer captured the public imagination with its modern styling and good looks. The entire line of “Senior” (SJ) vehicles included the Gladiator and J-Series Trucks, Wagoneer Station Wagons, Panel Deliveries, and early Cherokee models.
The SJ line was in production for more than 28 years with only minor technical changes. When production ended, it was the longest continuous automotive production run, on the same platform, in U.S. automotive history.
The Wagoneer was renamed the Jeep Grand Wagoneer in 1984 to coincide with the introduction of the downsized Wagoneer and Cherokee (XJ) models.
How we met
This now-classic Jeep Grand Wagoneer lived her entire life in Nebraska with her original owner, a commercial pilot, until 2014. It was then acquired by another pilot in Massachusetts, and that’s where I found it.
Thanks to this absolute classic station wagon, I’ve also met a friend – Jack the pilot – who brought it to Martha’s Vineyard where I then lived to show it to me and spend the day. After 4 years on the island, I shipped the car to Italy where it now lives. Who could ever have imagined it would cross the Atlantic and live in the Old Continent happily ever after?
