The Willys and Kaiser Years
| Also called | Jeep Grand Wagoneer (1984-1991) Jeep Ahoo (Iran, '67-'74) Jeep Simorgh (Iran, '63-'67) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1963-1991 |
| Assembly | Toledo, Ohio Tehran, Iran (Pars Khodro) |
| Body style | 2-door truck 2-door SUV 4-door SUV |
| Platform | Jeep SJ platform |
| Engine | 230 cu in (3.8 L) Tornado 140hp I6 258 cu in (4.2 L) AMC I6 327 cu in (5.4 L) Vigilante V8 350 cu in (5.7 L) Buick Dauntless V8 360 cu in (5.9 L) AMC V8 401 cu in (6.6 L) AMC V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed Borg-Warner T-90J manual 4-speed manual 3-speed GM THM400 automatic 3-speed Chrysler A727 automatic 3-speed Chrysler A999 automatic |
| Wheelbase | 110 in (2,800 mm) |
| Length | 186.4 in (4,730 mm) |
| Width | 74.8 in (1,900 mm) |
| Height | 66.4 in (1,690 mm) |
| Curb weight | 4,514 lb (2,048 kg) |
| Related | Jeep Gladiator Jeep Honcho Jeep Cherokee |
| Designer(s) | Brooks Stevens |
With competition from the "Big Three" advancing on Jeep's four-wheel-drive market, Willys management decided that a new and more advanced vehicle was needed. Conceived in the early 1960s while Willys-Overland Motors was owned by Kaiser Jeep Corporation, the Wagoneer replaced the original Willys Jeep Station Wagon, which dated to 1946 and remained in production until 1965.
Like its long-lived predecessor, the new 1963 Wagoneer took shape under industrial designer Brooks Stevens. Willys' engineering staff handled the technical development. The cost of development was around US$20 million.
The original Wagoneer was a full-size body-on-frame vehicle which shared its architecture with the Jeep Gladiator pickup truck. It was originally available in two and four-door body styles, with the two-door also available as a panel truck with windowless sides behind the doors and double "barn doors" in the rear instead of the usual tailgate and roll-down rear window.
Early Wagoneers were powered by Willys' new "Tornado" SOHC 230 cu in (3.8 L) six-cylinder engine, which had debuted in 1962 as an option for Jeep's older-style station wagons. The engine developed 140 hp (104 kW) and was noted for being quite fuel-efficient for its day. However, it was known for cooling issues and "pinging" at altitude, leading the company to introduce a lower-compression 133 hp (99 kW) Tornado in 1964.
Read more about this topic: Jeep Wagoneer
Famous quotes containing the words kaiser and/or years:
“Did I kill that guy that killed me?”
—Samuel Fuller, U.S. screenwriter. Kaiser (Perry Lang)
“The years go by in single file;
But none has merited my fear,
And none has quite escaped my smile.”
—Elinor Wylie (1885–1928)