I have to confess something. I have a car crush on the Jeep Wagoneer. Maybe crush isn’t the right word, since that implies a short term infatuation, while mine has been going on since approximately 1987. I even owned one, and it didn’t go all that well, but I still can’t get over the trucky wagons.
In the last year, I’ve encountered three very nice Wagoneers. I know of two previous full Curbside Classic articles here on Wagoneers, so this is the third. Well, they say good things come in threes and I think that’s doubly triply true here. The other articles are great but does anybody really think you can get too much of a good thing? At the risk of Wagoneer overload, I hope I can offer something new. In any case, we’ll take a bit deeper dive into the Wagoneer story and the vehicle’s features and you’ll find lots of sweet pictures new and old, none seen in previous CC articles and some historic ones seen here on the worldwide web for the first time that I know of. So if you also have a crush on Jeep’s classic wagon, or even if you are just wagon-curious, you should enjoy it.
The first example I happened on was a 1981 model at the Mecum Houston auction last April. I really enjoyed seeing this one because it brought back memories. My first car I bought when I was 16 was a 1980 Wagoneer Limited that was only 7 years old with about 70k miles. However, this was in Vermont where what was considered OK body-wise then, the current rust snob in me would call awful. I only had it for about six months, in which time the engine ran poorly and I managed to break the front drive shaft through abuse. I’ll leave that story for another time if I ever write a COAL on it. Our relationship was a rocky one, but I’ve always felt like I would like to get back together again!
This is a good place to pick up on the Wagoneer background story. In 1981, the Wagoneer was in its 19th model year, well on its way to an eventual 29. What’s amazing is that it did that with no body panel changes and it still looked great at the end. I believe that happened because of how extraordinary the original overall design was, which is a fact that has maybe been a little underplayed in previous still-excellent Curbside Classic profiles (see links at end).
When the Wagoneer blew on the scene for 1963 from Willys (under Kaiser Industries, which would change its official name to Kaiser-Jeep Corp that year), there was nothing else like it on the market. Simply put, the new Jeep was more car-like than any previous four wheel drive vehicle. In fact, no previous 4×4 had been at all car-like.
The closest was Jeep’s own Station Wagon, which when it came out in 1946 (four wheel drive available starting in 1949), bore some resemblance to the woody wagons of the time other than being all steel (with paint-simulated wood available) and two-door only. Really, though, it was more like a larger regular Jeep CJ with more functional, full bodywork.
Other manufacturers had been making some wagon-style 4×4’s for quite a while, including Chevrolet/GMC, Dodge and International. The Chevy/GMC Suburban, Dodge Town Wagon and International Travelall were all unabashed trucks. In 1961, International redesigned their Travelall and introduced the Scout, providing Jeep with their first serious competition. The Travelall, while still truck-like, was lower, sleeker-looking and gained a full four door body. The Scout was a smaller two door aimed squarely at the same market as the Jeep CJ and Station Wagon, with a removable steel top that made it useful as both a recreational vehicle and a small wagon.
In the postwar period, the small automakers survived by inventing and exploiting niche markets. Agricultural builder International had become successful in the light-duty truck market, adding four-wheel-drive in 1953 and increasingly well trimmed bodies that appealed to many potential Jeep customers. GM also jumped into the factory 4×4 market in 1956. With International’s new 1961 line, Jeep knew they had to respond to this threat decisively.
What Jeep came up with was a truck-based wagon that could legitimately be an alternative to a regular passenger car. While having fully capable four-wheel-drive, the body sat lower to allow easier step in and also a lower center of gravity for more car-like handling. Doors opened a wide 82 degrees. The rear window retracted into the tailgate, like many cars, and had electric power optional. The rear seat folded down easily. The interior had an attractive and stylish dash, steering wheel and door panels.
Under the hood was the Tornado OHC six, developed by Kaiser Chief Engineer A.C. “Sammy” Sampietro. Since Willys/Kaiser could hardly afford a new block, the old long-stroke 226 CID flathead six as used in Kaiser-Frazer cars and Jeep trucks and wagons was used. Sampietro increased the bore slightly to yield 230 cubic inches, and crowned the venerable block with his alloy hemi-head SOHC cylinder head, driven by a chain in the front. Somewhat oddly, the same camshaft lobes activated both the intakes and exhausts. The Tornado was actually used in the US starting in 1962, in the Jeep Station wagon and pickup, and then in the all-new 1963 Jeep Wagoneer (and Gladiator trucks). As used in the Jeeps, it was rated at 140 hp @4000 rpm. Unfortunately, the Tornado six had some teething issues and would be gone by 1965, sent to Argentina, where it went on to have a very long and successful life. The AMC 232 six replaced it.
A very innovative torsion bar independent front suspension was initially standard on the 2WD versions and optional with 4WD. This is one of the few photos that can be found that shows its unusual configuration, here in the 4WD version, with torsion bar sprung upper control arms. The axle shafts, which have a center pivot, function as the lower control arms, similar to the ’63 Corvette IRS. Apparently very few Wagoneers were sold with the IFS. Was it because of issues with it? It’s interesting to speculate if the Wagoneer had only been built with IFS; it would have been even more car-like and refined without its solid leaf-sprung front axle.
Air conditioning was optional starting in the second year and a 327 V8 (from AMC), in the third. Most significant was the optional automatic transmission. The Wagoneer was the only 4×4 available with an automatic in 1963 (numerous trucks offered automatics in 2WD versions). The four-wheel-drive versions of the Suburban and International Travelall wouldn’t get an automatic until 1969 and 1970, respectively.
Brooks Stevens, the independent industrial designer used by Willys for their 1946 Station Wagon and other designs, really outdid himself with the Wagoneer design. He penned styling that was more car-like than other trucks while still looking rugged and masculine. The very modern greenhouse was airy like a passenger car with excellent visibility. The lines were graceful in a way not previously associated with trucks, yet still simple, finding an excellent balance between sophistication and toughness. Jeep’s new pickup trucks came out simultaneously and shared the same general styling, but sat higher and had a wider track with flared fenders as well as other visual differences.
The Wagoneer was a solid success for Kaiser Jeep. Overall Jeep sales increased 40%. While Jeep sales would flatten out at this level for most of the 60’s, the Wagoneer was a solid player in the lineup.
As has been discussed in prior articles, a notable highlight was the 1966-68 Super Wagoneer, a vehicle Jeep proclaimed as, “the most elegant 4-wheeler auto ever crafted.” It had a long list of standard features including bucket seats with full length console and shifter, vinyl top, gold and black trim panels on the sides and tailgate, air conditioning, auto transmission and a 4 barrel version of the 327 c.i. V8 (regular Wagoneers could only get a 2 barrel version). It was clearly an important harbinger of the future of SUV’s, but alas, it was too far ahead of its time. Only 1,485 were sold over its three elegant years.
By 1968, Jeep dropped the independent front suspension, two-wheel-drive and two-door models, making Wagoneers henceforth the exclusively 4×4, four door wagons we would come to love. Two doors would return in 1974 as the Cherokee. 1968-1971 Wagoneers used the Buick 350 V8
American Motors bought Kaiser Jeep Corp in 1970 in a brilliant move that ended up keeping AMC a viable company for longer than they otherwise might have been. As the last independent U.S. automaker, AMC was well versed in finding and exploiting niches. Though still a small market, off-road vehicle sales would grow hugely in the 70’s and Jeep sales soared.
AMC came up with a number of variations and packages that kept the line reasonably fresh despite the lack of substantial new designs. One of those was the Wagoneer Limited in 1978. Like the Super twelve years earlier, the Limited was unprecedented for both trucks and 4×4’s. It had a long list of standards including 360 c.i. V8, automatic, air conditioning and new features like leather seats, full woodgrain trim, styled aluminum wheels and power windows, locks and seat. It also continued the generous standard load of marketing hyperbole: Jeep called it “a cut above excellence…built for the man who demands the ultimate in four-wheel drive performance without compromising on luxury.” It didn’t compromise on price either, at $10,715 (78 Cadillac Sedan DeVille base price $10,924, and not available with four wheel drive!). Unlike the Super, this time the ultimate Wagoneer sold well. In fact, the Limited name had more meaning than Jeep would have liked, because they had waiting lists and couldn’t build enough to satisfy initial demand.
The good times didn’t last too long, though, as the second Gas Crisis in 1979/80 sapped the public’s appetite for 4×4’s and cut 1980 Jeep sales by more than half. The Limited remained relatively popular, though, and was an important part of the lineup through 1983. In fact, it was so popular and profitable, it stayed on as the Grand Wagoneer when the 1984 Wagoneer/Cherokee line was redesigned as the smaller XJ platform. And of course, Jeeps were so popular, they survived the demise of their parent company when it was bought by Chrysler, who quickly ash-canned most of AMC/Renault’s other products.
Back to the 1981 Limited I found. One way Jeep dealt with the Gas Crisis was to make the 258c.i. straight six standard across the whole line, including in this particular Limited . If I ever knew this, I’d forgotten it and a little research revealed that the six was standard in the big Wagoneers through 1987. I couldn’t find any take rate figures, but I can’t imagine the six was very common in the luxury SUVs, especially in later years.
The Wagoneer didn’t sell at that auction last April despite being bid to $18,000. However, it went to the Mecum Kissimmee event in January this year with an apparently more motivated seller who let it go for $14,300.
The second Wagoneer I encountered was delightfully right around the corner from my house. I don’t find many curbside classics in my neighborhood and this one doesn’t live here. It showed up for an apparent party and I saw it again there at another gathering a few months later.
It’s a 1989 model and its condition looks way too nice to be a daily driver, but you never know. It had the sunroof option with maroon interior (or Cordovan as they called it).
The third was the nicest of all. This 1991 beauty was parked outside a restaurant we ate at one morning. When the guy sitting next to us in the not-crowded restaurant left and got into the Wagoneer, I kicked myself thinking I should have asked him if that was his, because an older gentleman having a relaxed breakfast is exactly the sort of person you might expect to drive something like this.
1991 models, being the final edition of the Grand Wagoneer, were called Final Editions and had a small plaque on the top of the dash, seen here just above the climate controls. This one was just as nice inside as outside and I prefer the tan (or Dark Sand they called it) interior color.
For the article I wrote in April on a 1978 VW Westfalia camper van, I found an almost identical van (but with only 994 miles!) which recently sold at auction for $110,000. As luck would have it, in January Barrett-Jackson auctioned a 1989 Wagoneer which looked very similar to my curbside finds (same exterior color as the 91, same interior as the 89), but this had 7900 miles and sold for…you guessed it: $110,000.
Do you think maybe there’s a pattern here that highly regarded cult classic vehicles in time capsule condition sell for $110k? It was the most B-J had ever gotten for a Wagoneer, by far. The auction had some high quality pictures attached, so let’s take a close look at some details on this sweet like-new wagon.
The engine is the 360 c.i. (5.9L) V8 making 144 h.p. and 280 ft.lbs. torque, the six cylinder having been dropped for 1988 with Chrysler’s takeover of Jeep. You might think that Chrysler would have put their own 360 in these, which was fuel injected starting in 1989. But alas, Wagoneers continued being powered by AMC’s venerable 2-barrel carbureted V8 through 1991.
Jeep redesigned the dashboard and steering wheel for 1986. Now the woodgrain on the dash matched (more or less) the trim on the doors! The leather and “Cumberland Cord” fabric upholstery and thick 18 oz. carpeting were still exactly like my old 1980 model’s. The seats gained headrests in 1985.
Door panels hardly changed at all over the life of the Limited/Grand, with the exception of dropping separate pull handles above the armrests in 1987. There certainly is ample woodgrain on the doors. The “wood” on the tops of the doors is applied directly over the metal (where earlier regular Wagoneers had bare body paint). It’s probably a decal but it looks a lot like the painted metal dashes of the 30’s/40’s which often look surprising like real, highly-polished wood to me. I always liked it on the Wagoneer.
Though limited a bit by the wheelhouses, the back seat is roomy. Passengers sit a bit higher than in the front seats. The cargo area reveals its 60’s truck roots with plenty of bare paint.
The thick carpeting makes a very soft looking storage area for your saddles or antique lamps or whatever the classy buyers were supposed to carry back here. The metal rub strips give it an old-fashioned charm.
Taillamps were modified for 1984. The auction car has a dealer-installed tow hitch.
Wagoneers got their final grille in 1986, a big improvement I think from the oh-so-AMC style grille of 79-85. Rather like a square-headlighted version of the attractive 66-78 grilles.
Jeep had very sophisticated four wheel drive systems for their times. In 1973, they came out with Quadra-Trac, a full-time system with a central differential/clutch mechanism that automatically proportioned torque to front or rear as needed. Perhaps we could say this was the first “All Wheel Drive” vehicle. A low range was available optionally, with an engagement lever under the dash. Quadra-Trac worked well, but gave poor fuel mileage, so it reverted from standard equipment to optional on Limiteds, owing to the 1979 Gas Crisis. Quadra-Trac was replaced in 1983 by Selec-Trac, which was similar and could be used full-time but allowed the system to be disengaged to save fuel.
The final evolution of Selec-Trac added shift-on-the-fly in 1985, which didn’t require the vehicle to be stopped to engage four-wheel-drive.
My old 1980 had the standard manual four wheel drive, with manual hub locks and an engagement lever on the transmission hump. Selec-Trac models had a small lever on the dash to the right of the steering column, as seen above.
Selec-Trac Wagoneers had a Four-Low range standard, with a stealthy lever below the driver seat for engaging Four-Low. This is also the location of the shift lever on manual models like my 1980.
Did you know the late Grand Wagoneers were available from the factory with a woodgrain delete option? Neither did I until researching this article. I certainly have never seen one in person and haven’t been able to find much info, but imagine they are rare as hen’s teeth.
A stately ornament took up residence on the hood in 1986, to go with the new grille. Woodgrain siding was altered a bit for 1987, with a slightly different tone and new divisions between the front fender and leading edge of front door and the trailing edge of rear door and rear fender. Compare the ad picture just below to the 1981 pictures above.
Jeep finally ended production of the Grand Wagoneer at the conclusion of 1991*. The Wagoneer has become a true cult classic and some have wondered why they terminated it, as it never really stopped being popular with the type of folks who like that sort of thing. Chrysler would have had to put some investment into it to meet new passive restraint standards and probably give it a Mopar drivetrain, which they surely would have got back given the huge profit margins this long-ago-amortized luxury vehicle generated. Why not give it a few updates and keep it going for at least another five years?
I think the answer is simply in the sales. The Limited/Grand consistently sold 14-20k until it’s last three years when it fell off fast to 4,253 ’91 Final Editions (some sources say 1,560, but that appears to be wrong, thankfully as that would be pathetic). With the SUV market maturing quickly in the 90’s, it seemed to auto execs that even an evergreen favorite like the GW had a shelf life that was probably passing. Besides, Jeep under Chrysler didn’t have the niche mindset it had in earlier days. It aimed to be a major player, with the new 93 Grand Cherokee staking out its place in the premium SUV market. Top-trimmed Grand Cherokees sold for close to what the old GW did, and Grand Cherokee sales were well over 200k per year for the rest of the 90’s. People may have still loved the simple, rugged and perpetually-elegant Grand Wagoneer, but it was not wanted or needed by Chrysler anymore.
The old girl got the last laugh, though, since mint original and refurbished Grand Wagoneers sell today for more than a new Grand Cherokee!
*Most sources say that Jeep sold approximately 300 1992 model Grand Wagoneers, even though it wasn’t listed in brochures or published sales figures. The Grand Cherokee went on sale in spring 92 as an early 93 model.
All original photos taken in Houston, TX April 2019 (1981), September 2019 (1989) and January 2020 (1991)
further reading:
Curbside Classic: 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer – Dorian Gray Goes to Horse Country , by JP Cavanaugh
Curbside Classic: 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer – Iconic, by Brendan Saur
Jeep Wagoneer Ads Through the Decades, by PN, An entertaining collection of factory ads and brochure pics with minimal commentary. Last ad is from 1985, which as I noted above seems to be when Jeep scaled back promotion for the GW.
Motor Life Editorial, January 1960: Where’s The Crossovers?, by PN just recently, very interesting review of pioneering SUV’s from the perspective of a 1960 editorial calling for more practical cars.
I havent seen a lot of these earlier Jeep wagons here though I did get a ride in one hitch hiking from Cape Tribulation to Cairns in OZ years ago it seemed to get along quite well but lurched and swayed around corners quite alarmingly, it was however a quick trip the guy had to meet a flight and was running late, he got it up to 140 kmh a few times on straights so it had a reasonable turn of speed and quite good brakes as every time the tight curves came up all that speed had to come off
No matter how elegant it got, I don’t believe any of the later front-end designs matched the simple elegance of Stevens’ original grille.
Agree. I see a bit of RR influence in that original grille.
RR? I see a slightly updated version of the grille Jeep had been using on its wagon and the Jeepster for over a decade.
Stevens didn’t design the grille. He proposed a very clean front end, in his “Malibu” concept. But it was too radical for Willys, and they put their traditional grille back. We covered that here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/design/design-capsule-1959-willys-malibu-and-1961-j-100-the-first-two-tries-at-styling-the-1963-jeep-wagoneer/
This is what Stevens wanted (below). And in a just a few years, that clean grille finally made it on the Wagoneer.
I find that throw-back grille aesthetically rather jarring; not at all organic to the rest of the car.
The photo of this Wagoneer prototype reminds me of another Brookes Steven design from the around the same period in time, the 1964 Studebaker Lark (and in particular, the station wagon version known as the Wagonaire). Similar size, proportions and detailing on the side of the vehicles. Some of the lower-priced Studebakers even used dual headlamps (in contrast to the quad headlamps on the higher-level trim models. And there’s the similarity of their names. Wagoneer/Wagonaire.
Great article; very informative. Thank you!
I was never a fan of wood-grain sides on any vehicle, other than genuine wood. My concern was that it would inevitably fade, and since I tend to keep vehicles a long time, that’s a problem. I didn’t know about the delete option and would have considered one of these had I known at the time.
I agree! I do like the look of fake wood on a wagon, but if I was buying one for regular use, I would prefer not to have to worry about it. In fact, I own a Roadmaster wagon and specifically sought one with the woodgrain delete for that reason.
An excellent addition to the CC Grand Wagoneer Chronicles.
Mrs. JPC and I were watching a show on television just last night and a GW was being driven by a character. I told her how much money those were worth today, but I had no idea one had gotten to $110K. The CC Effect continues.
It is funny how many people had less-than-wonderful experiences with these but loved them anyway. And I had no idea these ever came with a six under the hood after the mid 70s.
I love these despite having never driven one. This was a visual treat, I adore the burgundy interior in these and can’t find much if anything to really fault visually on any of them, everything is so perfectly “american”.
Nicer inside than a New Yorker. We got the two door version, the Cherokee with the 360 v8 and RHD. Properly no more thirsty yet more exclusive than the common old Range Rover. Bet more reliable to.
Oh this is painful. My first car was a loaded 77 Wagoneer with a 401. I loved that car and I regretted trading it in 84. A few years ago I seriously looked for a decent used one and found they were priced beyond my reach. I’m not surprised they are prized classics, but I am surprised at the values since their luxury SUV benefits have become ubiquitous and were seen in millions of Big Three SUVs made in the past 30 years.
Just like any classic car, People buy them for the style and because they are so different from modern vehicles, even if new ones do everything practical better.
I’ll bet the widespread popularity of SUVs make these classic SUVs more prized than they would be if SUVs weren’t so ubiquitous now.
Of course $110k is not typical, that was an exceptional vehicle. Really nice Grand Wagoneers more typically bring 40-60k.
No need to worry about Wagoneer overload — I can’t get enough of these Jeeps. Unfortunate that I’ve never ridden in one, though.
A few things here I either didn’t know or had long forgotten — such as that early Wagoneers didn’t have standard power tailgate windows. I presume the crank was external, and was lockable? I wonder if any other vehicle, and a manual crank roll-down tailgate window? Also, I had forgotten that there was still painted metal on the interior (cargo area), even on later Grand Wagoneers… amusing since there was perhaps no greater calling card of a cheapo care than that, and the Wagoneer was quite likely the most prestigious American vehicle of its day.
Regarding post-1985 Grand Wagoneer ads, there were a few, but the only ones I can think of had the Grand Wagoneer paired up with the XJ Wagoneer, and I presume the Grand’s presence here was really to sell more XJ’s through a halo association. But there were at least two such ads; one is below.
Good find! Now that you mention it, I think I vaguely remember that ad or something similar. 1987, I would guess.
I’ve seen manual tailgate wagoneers/cherokees in person but I don’t recall what the locking mechanism is. I think the lock is on the crank. You can see the crank in the rear shot of the 1963 near the top of the article.
The manual roll down tailgate window operated by an exterior hand crank was indeed common in 1960s station wagons. My parents had a 1964 and then a 1966 Dodge Dart station wagon with exactly that set up. When it began to rain during a summer road trip, Dad had to stop on the shoulder of the highway and jump out to crank the rear window up to prevent everything (and everyone) in the cargo compartment from getting soaked.
Thanks – I’d never noticed an exterior crank on a wagon before.
Don’t forget there was also a swinging dual barn door setup available on early Wagoneers as well. You’ll find a few if you do a Google image search on wagoneer barn doors.
Great post. I learned a lot!
Not many other designs from the 1960’s held up as well.
Honestly, if Jeep still made these, people would still be buying them.
I’m particularly intrigued about that independent front suspension. I don’t think I’ve seen one just like that. I wonder how well it worked in comparison to the solid axle version. I’m guessing they ditched it because it was too expensive and they weren’t selling many anyway, although it was standard on the 2WD version for the first couple of years. The 2WD version used simple tubular lower control arms in place of the axle shafts.
I couldn’t find any information on how well it functioned. Just from the design, I would speculate that it rode smoother but cornered poorly. That complex steering linkage setup doesn’t look too friendly, either.
I’d like to find the original Motor Trend road test of the 63 Wagoneer, or any others.
What is your speculation of poor cornering based on?
The steering gear doesn’t look much more complicated than the solid axle version (below).
Well for the IFS setup, I foresee some significant toe changes during compression and rebound as each side negotiates bumps in the road. Also, the outside flex joint has some significant duties as a load carrier and a driving member.
The upper control arm is quite a bit shorter than the axle half, so I would expect a good amount of camber change on hard or bumpy cornering. Also no sway bar visible. At least it’s not a true swing axle, so that’s good (though I’m guessing you are a fan of swing axles:) ).
I don’t know exactly where the steering box is, but assuming it’s attached directly to the pitman arm that goes through the frame crossmember, that attaches to a hinged arm that connects to the tie rods. Perhaps it works fine, just appears a little Rube Goldbergian.
Maybe. But keep in mind that the classic double wishbone IFS has a short upper arm and a longer lower arm. That’s why it’s called SLA (Short-Long-Arm). It purposely creates camber change, in order to compensate for the body lean in a curve. Without it, the outside front tire, which has the greatest load, is not able to make full use of its tread. This is why race cars have used SLA since it came on the scene. It was the IFS of choice on the great majority of passenger cars globally until the MacPherson strut came along, which also creates camber changes for the same reason. Camber change on front wheels is a good thing.
I’m not sure what it means to “be a fan of swing axles”. I appreciate them in their appropriate historical context, with their intrinsic benefits and limitations. I don’t pine for a return of them, though. 🙂
Doesn’t a certain yellow pickup close to your heart have swing axles, I mean twin I beams?
Perhaps there was no inherent flaw in the Jeep design, which would certainly beg the question of why was it such a short dead end?
Say, I have an opinion on swing axles – they are evil! And quite poor design for someone like the hallowed Dr Porsche to be spreading about, especially as better was out there. (It seems Himself was too important look under the back of a ’34 Lancia, for instance). Just add a rear engine for murderous results.
There, that feels better.
This vaguely resembles the Mercedes 9rear) low-pivot swing axles of the ’60’s, with centre horizontal compensator spring (and I wonder if perhaps this has one hidden up in that central chassis member?)
What I cannot work out after having had a good stare at that photo is how on earth those upper control arms move up more than about an inch before banging hard up against the chassis rails above them, especially puzzling as this suspension is obviously completely unloaded?
I was wondering the same thing about the suspension travel.
This Jeep IFS does not have swing axles. Period.
The lower control arms (axles in the 4×4 version, plain steel tubes in the 2WD) function exactly like the typical control arms/wishbones in a SLA dual wishbone suspension. The universal joint at the wheel allows it pivot vertically as well as horizontally (for steering).
If it were a swing axle, there would not be an upper control arm, which is a key component to a dual wishbone suspension. If you were looking at the 2WD version, it would never cross your mind that this is a swing axle.
I love everything about these American Range Rovers. This is the first time I’ve seen one in blue, and it’s a knockout. And those wheels…
I’ve always liked the Wagoneer, too, especially in the white with burgundy interior color combination shown here. Very American and very handsome and its latter-day success as a prestigious vehicle was icing on the cake. None too reliable from those I know who had or have one. In many ways, it seems that Jeep’s own Grand Cherokee is the spiritual successor of the Grand Wagoneer as a status object acceptable to people of all descriptions.
There was actually a one year only model in 1993 called Grand Wagoneer that was based on the Grand Cherokee and sold poorly. It had “woodie” body panel trim and a plush interior with pillowy leather seats. This interior (minus only the color-keyed steering wheel which was henceforth black) was retained for the high-end trim on the Grand Cherokee in subsequent years.
That IFS is intriguing. It’s reminiscent of Ford’s Twin I-Beam suspension which tried to reduce the camber change by increasing the radius of swing.
Excellent post Jon, and you’re quite right: for a car to look good in ’63 and still so in ’91 and still so even today means it is a landmark design piece. It’s not obvious why that is, as on a cursory glance, it’s rather a plain thing. Clearly, that can’t be right.
The design is perhaps even more remarkable for the fact that it must have continued to drive sales, as the actual vehicle was a pretty crude thing to drive. My exposure was only a once-off in (I think) an ’82 or so, but it’s hard to see how the unpleasant parts (unyielding ride, bump-steer, super-vague steering, wind-rush above 50) could’ve been different on other examples, given the unchanging basic specs.
Thanks, good points. The crudeness was maybe less of a handicap for the Wagoneer than it would be for a regular car, since being a Jeep and 4×4 it is expected to be a simple, rugged, even crude vehicle despite being a “luxury” car.
Manual crank tailgate windows were more common than one might think.
My Dad special ordered a 1973 Chevy Suburban which was the first model year of the bodystyle that would be produced through the 1991 model year.
He ordered it with the uplevel Cheyenne Super trim but specified manual windows including the tailgate…..The lock was in the tailgate window crank so after you unlocked it, you manually cranked the handle to roll the window up and down.
In its later years, the window lift mechanism failed, so my Dad had to remove the interior tailgate access panel to put in a couple of homemade wood posts to hold the window up in the closed position.
Back in the late nineties I owned a very clean 1989 grand wagoneer. It was one of the more fond memories of cars I have owned. However, like anything AMC, or Jeep or Chrysler it had its ups and downs. It drove really well and great off road and was very stoutly built. On the downside, it got horrible gas mileage, it had a strange 3 barrel motorcraft carburetor that wouldn’t stay fixed. Power windows broke frequently and the roof made popping noises like a oil can going over bumps. The worst though was the gas tank is long and skinny and sits next to the driveshaft, the pickup tube is at the rear of the tank. If the tank is less than 1/4 full and you go down a long hill the fuel pump would run dry and the engine would stall. Getting it restarted sometimes was a challenge. I still think fondly of it though and sold it for about $3500 in 2002. Probably would be worth 8 times that now.
Funny how cars can be difficult and we still love them. I”ve always wanted another one, but I think my opportunity passed by. I should have bought yours in 2002!
Great article on a cool classic!
One question – on the picture of the Selec-Trac lever, what is the knob next to the fog light switch? All I can think of is it looks like a squid trying to fit through a hole.. pretty sure that’s not it!