The arriver of the Jeep Wagoneer in the fall of 1962 was enormously important for Jeep . While Willys Motors dominate the market forfour - wheel - drivevehicles , there was short need to update its 1940s - time of origin Jeep Station Wagon . But when diligence rivals begin enter the arena in the late fifties , a modern substitute became imperative .
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Indeed , the development of the Wagoneer was an essential , defining result for an entire class of vehicle that would ricochet up over the next 40 years , bringing together four - wheel drive , ample passenger and cargo elbow room , and ever - greater levels of sumptuosity .
Willys Motors , since 1953 a division ofKaiserIndustries , had the market for clear - obligation four - wheel - ride vehicles nearly all to itself for years . It began producing the CJ-2A – the civilian variation of the already - famed wartime " jeep " – in mid 1945 , then bring out four - wheel - drive truck in 1947 .
Although the four - wheel - drive market place was n’t large in the immediate post - World War IIyears , Willys dominated it . But for 1961 , there appeared a raw competition . International Harvester introduced its Scout line of modern four - wheel - drive vehicles . The Scout ’s mark was the Jeep CJ , but with more room and consolation . on the spur of the moment , Jeep was face serious competition .
Willys management jump into action . In other 1961 , funding was approved for a new - product syllabus that would include an entirely raw range of Jeep vehicles and a newengine . Chief engineer A.C. Sampietro would deal the nuts and bolts , while the styling occupation was assigned to Brooks Stevens , the talented independent designer Willys had on retainer , and the petite in - star sign Jeep styling staff under Jim Angers .
When Stevens was ask to come up with an all - unexampled lineup of Jeep post beach waggon , pickup , and control panel trucks , the projection probably seemed a little bit like dà © jà vu . A similar request during the mid-1940s was how Stevens began his association with Willys . Back then , he dig on a series of postwar intent that resulted in the Jeep Station Wagon in 1946 . In 1949 , a four - wheel - parkway reading made its debut ; it was the very first sport - utility fomite .
But that was then and this was now . Willys no longer owned the four - bike - drive marketplace as it had a decade before . In the late 1950s , International , Dodge , Chevrolet , General Motors , Ford , and Studebaker all begin offering mill - build 4×4 versions of their schematic light - duty trucks . Then fare the Scout , and if it succeeded , would others follow ? Stevens was hold up to have to come in up with something really spectacular to compete with them all .
He did .
What Stevens developed , after a serial of clay studies and endless sketches , was an attractive post waggon with stylish , almost elegant line . Introduced in November 1962 , Willys called it the Jeep Wagoneer . It was large than the quondam Jeep wagons and open of carrying six passenger comfortably .
Glass areas were unusually large , endowing the interior with an airy , undefendable feel quite unlike any previous service program wagon . The slab - sided body had a masculine good looks . Front - remnant styling was especially typical : a keystone grille flanked by orotund round outlet almost as large as the headlamps . The cowling was low-down , the flanks spare of unnecessary ornamentation .
It was a simple , reliable face without gimmicks . This was not the variety of styling usually tie in with trucks , yet it was much more rugged looking than an ordinary auto . The overall style dead reflected Wagoneer ’s personality .
kinsfolk beach wagon features abounded , with roll - down windows at each doorway , a tailgate with retractable window , and a stylish instrument control panel . engine driver integrate the various four - steering wheel - crusade components into the chassis design so that although the organic structure sit low to the route , basis headroom remained excellent .
The step - in peak was almost like that of an ordinary car . The caller boasted that " The Wagoneer … is the first post wagon to offer all over rider car styling in combination with the advantage of four - cycle - drive grip . "
Wagoneer ’s 110 - inch wheelbase was almost half a foot longer than the previous Jeep wagon , and its 183.6 - in overall length was more than seven inch greater . These were the largest , roomiest wagons Jeep had ever built .
Car Lifenoted " overall dimensions are almost superposable to those of the Chevy II …. But Wagoneer looks a lot bigger than it really is – for reasons we can not fully explain . “Yet , despite its size , Wagoneer seemed lithe and nimble compared to an InterÂnational Travelall or Chevrolet Suburban . That perceived departure was of the essence to the Wagoneer ’s acceptance . In the public mind , the International and Chevrolet wagons were motortruck ; the Wagoneer seemed more like a family line car substitute .
Even more significant to its success was this : Wagoneer was a rolling laboratory of newfangled ideas . It just bristled with innovations . Wagoneers offered not one but two body styles ; a conventional two - door utility police wagon and a fresh four - door beach waggon that greatly enlarge its appeal to phratry .
Wagoneer was also the first four - wheel - drive fomite to propose an robotlike transmission – by any approximation , the single most - desired feature among auto buyers . The optional pillar - shifted Borg - Warner automatic earned Wagoneer a place on the shopping lists of thousands of Modern - auto panorama .
Wagoneer also was the first four - wheel - drive wagon to offer an optional self-governing front suspension , utilizing long torsion saloon in home of the standard front foliage bounce for a smoother , carlike drive . This apparatus also reduce the turning r by 16 inches .
Four - wheel drive was function by a floor - mount lever . The transfer causa included four - bike high and lowly ranges , plus regular two - wheel crusade , though on the face of it Wagoneers with automatonlike contagion did n’t come with a low kitchen range . Indicator light differentiate driver at a glimpse in which drive chain the vehicle was engage .
There was innovation under the hood as well , where the new " Tornado OHC " six - cylinder overhead - camshaft locomotive nestled well in the large locomotive engine bay . Although it first appeared tardily in the 1962 model year as an option on Jeep usefulness wagons , pickups , and venire hand truck , the engine was develop peculiarly for the unexampled Jeep line .
Then the only ohc engine from a U.S. manufacturer , its king output was exceptional : 230 Criminal Investigation Command generated 140 bhp at 4,000 rev and 210 Cypriot pound - foot of torque at 1,750 revolutions per minute , 35 HP and 20 pound - feet more than Willys ’s quondam Super Hurricane 226 - cid L - fountainhead six .
Willys exact it offer " the lowest specific fuel consumption of all production gasoline locomotive engine . " The TorÂnado was the only engine offer in Wagoneers ; Willys had no V-8 . stock transmission was a three - speed manual of arms with a column - mounted shifter . OverÂdrive could be ordered on two - steering wheel - drive models only .
Designated serial J-100 , at announcement Wagoneer offered two passementerie score . home - level Wagoneers come with homely upholstery and golosh floor mats , while flossy Deluxe models offer full carpet plus fancy upholstery and door trim . Later in the year , the Custom serial publication exchange the Deluxe , apparently without any variety in equipment .
The two - door Wagoneer was the price leader , specially in two - rack - drive frame , with a basis price of $ 2,546 . A four - door , four - wheel - drive Wagoneer was priced at $ 3,332 . Like most American vehicles back then , the base price was simply a start point .
Wagoneer offer a broad list of optional equipment . Beside the autobox , vendee could order mightiness steerage , power brake system , pushÂbutton AM radio , electric clock , back - up lights , bottom belt , electrically mesh tailgate window , chrome wheel covers , and more . A dash - mounted orbit was stock on four - wheel - drive models , optional for two - wheelers . There were work choice too , including snowplough , winches – even a rotary broom .
Automotive magazines bonk the new Willys . Four - Wheelercalled Wagoneer " a spectacular and remarkable styling change " and spoke of " important promotion for four - wheeler . “Car Lifesaid the OHC six was " commendably legato and unruffled . " Its testers immortalize a 0 - 60 - miles per hour time of 15.9 seconds with automatic and 17 mpg on a 60 - mph highway misstep . metropolis mileage was 14.5 mpg , whichCar Lifesaid " for sure show the noteworthy efficiency of the OHC locomotive engine . "
Continue on to the next page to see more reactions to the unexampled Jeep Wagoneer .
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The Reaction to the Jeep Wagoneer
The reaction to the Jeep Wagoneer was unprecedented . The public flocked to Jeep dealers to see the new Wagoneer . Although Willys had anticipated increase sale , it was unable to keep up with the fantastic demand .
During 1963 , Wagoneer aid plant a retail sales record for Jeep in the U.S. as sales rose 42 percent to $ 220,799,000 and an operating net profit of $ 9,357,000 was recorded . New dealer constellate to the Willys measure , and by year ’s end , the sales force numbered 1,600 franchised dealers , the eminent turn in years .
One historically regrettable event fall out in March 1963 : Kaiser IndusÂtriesvice chair Steve Girard anÂnounced that the fellowship was throw the Willys Motors name . From that head , the division would be known as Kaiser Jeep Corporation . The reason was a desire " to in good order identify the Toledo company as one of the grow Kaiser family of industries . " The Willys name would cover in some overseas markets , though .
Although there were no significant show changes for 1964 , Wagoneers offer a new feature especially appreciated by kinsfolk – zephyr conditioning . Although the characteristic was n’t as democratic then as it is today , it was important for Wagoneer to propose the full mountain range of rider - railcar puff , which heighten Jeep ’s repute for pioneering new ideas .
In reaction to complaint ofengineknock in high - ALT area , a lower - compression 133 - bhp version of the Tornado OHC was made useable .
Sales go forward at a good pace and Kaiser Jeep cover an operating earnings of $ 11.1 million for 1964 on record sales of $ 255,582,000 . The sale meshwork grew to 2,150 principal and production of Wagoneers was get at several overseas affiliates .
To follow the Wagoneer story into 1965 , continue on to the next varlet .
1965 Jeep Wagoneer
The following year saw the first significant changes with the 1965 Jeep Wagoneer . At introduction , nothing seemed different on the surface .
But the optional Jeep Vigilanteenginearrived and that was welcome news . The new engine was the two - barrelful - carburetorversion of the American Motors 327 - Criminal Investigation Command V-8 that made 250 bhp . Along with the V-8 come a new optionalautomatic transmission , General Motors ’s exÂcellent Turbo Hydra - Matic .
Motor Trend ’s test of a V-8 / reflexive Wagoneer yielded a 14.5 - second outpouring to 60 mph . Fuel economy ranged from 11.5 to 15.2 mpg . " These add horses let the WagÂoneer cruise quietly and effortlessly at 75 miles per hour , give it bags of low - pep pill torsion ( 340 pounds - understructure as compared to 210 for the Six ) , enable it to crawl up any hill it can get traction on , " wroteMotor Trend ’s Bob McVay .
The Tornado OHC reÂmained the standard locomotive engine . Both engines descend with athree - velocity stickas standard . Overdrive was offered with either engine , though again only on two - roulette wheel - drive models . Wagoneers equipÂped with the six continued to offer an automatic , though not the new General Motors whole .
later on that same class , Wagoneer was grant a handsome new full - width grille . At the same time , the Tornado OHC was replaced by AMC ’s more powerful 232 - Criminal Investigation Command , 145 - bhp seven - main - bearing ohv engine , which Jeep dub the Hi - Torque Six .
A new standard safety parcel admit padded sun visors and dash , seat belt front and rear , two - speed electric wipers with washer , back - up light , chrome outside mirror , safety - deoxyephedrine windscreen , and twofold - circuit self - adjusting brakes . For the first time , a low range was offered for four - wheelers arrange with the automatonlike transmission .
To check about the 1966 Jeep Wagoneer , continue on to the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
1966 Jeep Wagoneer
The 1966 Jeep Wagoneer was a model that long time by and by would be recognized as a landmark vehicle . The Super Wagoneer was a unexampled idea , a luxuryfour - wheel - drivevehicle .
Included in its $ 5,943 substructure price ( which was $ 2,163 higher than a four - door Custom with four - wheel driving force ) were aviation conditioning , automatic transmission , powersteering , power brakes , galvanizing tailgate window , radio , and a careen direction wheel .
The exterior include such luxury ghost as a vinyl - covered ceiling , standard roof rack , mag - style steering wheel covering fire , whitewall tyre , and unequaled wing ornaments . Antique Gold trimming panels ran along the sides , with a matching trimming instrument panel on the tailboard .
Inside , Super Wagoneers featured fancy pail nates , a console table , and thick rug . The standard railway locomotive was a potent 270 - bhp four - cask version of the Vigilante V-8 .
The Super Wagoneer , which lasted through 1968 , was the plushest , most luxurious four - cycle - drive wagon the world had seen at that full point , a pioneer that blaze a track for today ’s luxury SUVs .
To follow the ontogenesis of the Jeep Wagoneer from 1967 - 1977 , proceed on to the next varlet .
1967-1977 Jeep Wagoneer
Over the next decade , the 1967 - 1977 Jeep Wagoneer underwent many changes . Two - bicycle - campaign models put in their net appearance in 1967 . The two - doorway Wagoneer , never a big trafficker , was stop after the following season .
But bigger change began after American Motors boughtKaiserJeep Corporation in 1970 . American Motors Chairman Roy D. Chapin , Jr. , saw smashing opportunities in the sportsman - usefulness market and regularise his technologist to upgrade and refine the Jeep credit line .
By the 1970 model yr , theBuick350 - cid V-8 had replaced the Vigilante , but during 1971 , AMC ’s own 304- and 360 - cidengineswere installed as the Wagoneer ’s optional V-8s .
The cornerstone six , meanwhile , became the corporate 258 - cid , 150 - bhp building block . In mid-1970 , an galvanic skid brand sunshine-roof became an option , mayhap the first offered on an SUV . Interiors were upgraded , and AMC technologist made particular drive to solve noise and vibration problems .
One important outcome of the AMC buyout was the merging of the Jeep principal group into AMC ’s large sales electronic web . Many more bargainer were now retailing Wagoneers . As a result , sales increase at a steady step throughout the Seventies .
Innovations kept on total , too . In 1973 , Wagoneer got the new Quadra - Trac full - timefour - bike - driving force system . It wipe out the need to shift in and out of four - wheel drive , endear it to drivers intimidated by the shift levers of conventional 4×4s . Not that Quadra - Trac was only for suburbanite .
After test a Quadra - Trac - fit Wagoneer , Pick - up Van & 4WDdeclared it " the best 4WD vehicle in the mankind . " Quadra - Trac started a trend . Today , all agiotage SUVs provide full - time four - wheel drive .
The following year , a 175 - bhp , 360 - third power V-8 became the stock Wagoneer locomotive engine , with a 235 - horse 401 - cid powerplant ushered in as the step - up alternative . Quadra - Trac joined the received - equipment list in 1975 .
To vie with the unexampled stock of hand truck - free-base S.U.V. like the Chevy Blazer and Dodge Ramcharger , Jeep brought out the Cherokee – a virtual revival of the two - door Wagoneer – in 1974 .
When a four - door Cherokee was added in 1977 , the Wagoneer was reduced to a single model with appointment approximately tantamount to those of the former Custom version . That isolation would n’t last long , though .
Continue on to the next varlet to read about the 1978 - 1979 Jeep Wagoneer Limited .
1978-1979 Jeep Wagoneer Limited
The innovation of the 1978 - 1979 Jeep Wagoneer Limited set the sport - utility grocery on its ear . A spiritual successor to the old Super Wagoneer , the Limited was the most luxuriousfour - wheeleranyone had ever seen .
The list of received equipment included in its $ 10,500 fundament toll would have done a Cadillac proud , including as it did whitewall radialtires ; air conditioning ; tiltsteering wheel ; cruise ascendency ; AM / FM stereophony with a option of citizen’s - band radio or tape musician ; 360 V-8;automatic transmission ; Quadra - Trac ; power - run seats , window , and lock ; and leather lop for the steering wheel , bucket stern , rear seat , console table , and door panels – the first enjoyment of leather upholstery in a four - wheel - ride vehicle .
Exterior features included Natalie Wood - grain side- and rear - trim panel , styled aluminum wheels , wood - cereal - trimmed ceiling wrack , and more . " Now with Wagoneer Limited , you have a Jeep vehicle of unprecedented luxury and distinction , " worldwide marketing manager R.J. Gilchrist wrote to principal several months before express hit their salesroom .
former advertising was placed in powder store with affluent readerships . Automotive writers were duly impressed with the Limited;Road & Trackcalled it " The Champagne of 4 - wheel - drives . " Buyers constellate to it like bees to a flower and there soon was a waiting inclination .
These were golden years for Jeep , with the factory go at capacity , wait lists of emptor , and fat profit margins . ( Annual Wagoneer production was in the 20,000 - 29,000 range of a function from 1976 to 1979 . ) Then , in 1979 , a fuel shortage hit AmerÂica .
This was in reality the second fossil oil - producer trade stoppage of the decade ; the first total in late 1973 and endure until the following spring . Although sales of the Cherokee unload like a Isidor Feinstein Stone , Wagoneer sales harbor up fairly well . Still , no one make love how long this raw crisis would last , so the factory began to make change to improve Wagoneer fuel economic system .
To stick to the Jeep Wagoneer narration through the 1980s , continue to the next page .
1980-1989 Jeep Wagoneer
The 1980 - 1989 Jeep Wagoneer developed and improved through the ten . novel model were developed , and the honest-to-god ones develop to provide more suitable subroutine and amenities .
One step Jeep rent in 1980 was to reinstate the 258 - Criminal Investigation Command six with part - fourth dimension four - rack thrust and a option ofautomaticor four - speedmanual transmissionas an choice to the received powertrain of 360 V-8 , automatic , and Quadra - Trac . ( The optional four - barrel - carb 360- and 401 - Criminal Investigation Command V-8s had already been throw away after 1978 . ) With the six , the Wagoneer turned in a very tidy 15 mpg in metropolis driving and 19 mpg on the highway .
In 1981 , a new Wagoneer Brougham joined the line , slot in between the base modeling and the Limited . Brougham include upgrade interior trim , extra insulating material , power tailgate window , roof wrack , and a host of extra features .
The six - cylinderenginebecame standard again , with the 175 - bhp , 360 - Criminal Investigation Command V-8 optional for all models . The four - speed manual contagion come received on base WagÂoneers and Broughams , but automatic transmission system with full- or part - time four - wheel driveway was optional . Quadra - Trac and the automatic were standard on the Limited .
For 1982 , a five - speed manual transmission was uncommitted , and a novel Selec - Trac system replaced Quadra - Trac in April . When route conditions permitted , Selec - Trac allowed for more fuel - efficient rear - drive - only surgical process at the flick of a switching on the dashboard .
The base Wagoneer was dropped for 1983 , leaving a choice of Brougham or special models . Manual transmissions were also discontinued . An automatic transmittance with Selec - Trac became standard . With the stock six - cylinder locomotive engine , the Wagoneer was rated at 18 mpg city/25 mpg main road – outstanding for a full - size SUV .
The braggy word at American Motors for 1984 was the introduction of smaller and more fuel - effective Jeep Cherokee and Wagoneer XJ mannikin . But their innovation did n’t intend the end of the onetime Wagoneer .
The former Wagoneer Limited return to showrooms as the Grand Wagoneer . AMC called it the " Big Daddy " of Jeep vehicles . Appearance - Âwise it was nearly selfsame to the old Limited , though unexampled perpendicular taillamps supersede the horizontal wraparound lamps that been around since the first , and the wood grain side decal was somewhat revised .
The six keep as standard , but the two - barrel 360 V-8 was a very pop option . With standard equipment that let in Selec - Trac ; automatic ; power direction , brakes , windows , and door locks ; six - way mightiness seats ; double galvanic outside mirrors ; halogen fog lamps ; air conditioning ; leather ; arguing wheel ; quartz digital clock ; Al wheels ; ceiling extort ; and AM / FM stereophonic system with tape recording musician , Grand Wagoneer remained the gold standard of the SUV market .
A full - sized Wagoneer Custom with a shorter listing of stock equipment that included air , automatic transmittal , AM / FM radio , part - time four - cycle drive , steering wheel covers , bucket posterior , and full carpeting was offered in short in 1984.HowÂÂever , even at a price of only $ 15,995 – some $ 3,300 less than the Grand – it did n’t interest many buyers . Grand Wagoneer was what hoi polloi were look for in a full - sized SUV .
To follow the exploitation of Jeep in the other 1990s , see the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
Jeep in the Early Nineties
In the late Eighties and other Nineties , Jeep ’s big Wagoneer would keep with incremental advances , such as an improvedsuspensionand " shift - on - the - fly front " Selec - Trac ( 1985 ) , a new pawn panel ( 1986 ) , a return to received V-8 power ( 1987 ) , and added convenience feature film .
Despite advancing age – by 1987 it had been on the market for 25 years – it continued to thrill buyers and route tester . That class , Road & Trackcalled Grand Wagoneer " one of the most capable off - roaders going , " tell interior appointment " are truly high-minded , " and sum up it up as " a first - pace off - roader and incleÂment weather vehicle AMC has honed tight to idol . " How many other 25 - year - old designs could have earned such praise ?
Wagoneer officially reach the end of the road in 1991 . Having crawled back up a bit in the former 80 after the 1979 gas crisis , sales had fall off gradually over the next few years . Chrysler CorpÂÂÂoration– Jeep ’s parent since its purchase of AMC in mid 1987 – planned to end Grand Wagoneer product at the end of the model year .
HowÂever , some things are hard to let go of , and it seems that a belittled routine of 1992 Grand WagÂoneers were build up . One enthusiast claims to have documented four 1992s , and reports that perhaps as many as 300 were built .
Why the factory would build such a small run is a intriguing inquiry . It may have been that some last - hour order needed to be filled , or perhaps it was an effort to employ up remnant region – or maybe it was a combination of those things .
There was a sort of Grand Wagoneer resurgence in 1993 , a loaded , Mrs. Henry Wood - granulate version of the all - new Grand Cherokee , but it did n’t sell very well . After all , over the prior three decades , veteran WagÂoneer owners had become accustomed to having nothing but the good . How could they root for an imitation ?
Want to learn more about the classical Jeep Wagoneer ? See the next page to find select mechanically skillful , fomite , and engine specifications for the 1965 Jeep Wagoneer 4×4 .
1965 Jeep Wagoneer 4x4: Selected Specifications
Jeep vehicle ply to a bit by bit growing food market forfour - wheel - drivemodels afterWorld War II . When competitive atmospheric pressure finally win over Willys to modernise its sept size Jeep Station Wagon , the result was the WagÂoneer , which was introduced for 1963.Its mix of four - wheel capability with carlike style and comforter placed it in a unique recess , and its success continued for 25 years . Below are choose specifications for the 1965 Jeep Wagoneer 4×4 :
1965 Jeep Wagoneer 4×4 Vehicle Specifications
1965 Jeep Wagoneer 4×4 Engine Specifications
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1965 Jeep Wagoneer 4×4 Mechanical Specifications
