As it seems not every concept that has been preparing for the 2017 Easter Jeep Safari is a Wrangler, and yes we know that there is a Compass-based Trailpass, but we are talking about something entirely different. We present you The Grand One which is basically a 1993 Grand Cherokee ZJ that Jeep bought off Craigslist and fully restored with much attention to details. The Jeep decided to do this as an honor to the Grand Cherokee’s 25th anniversary.
The ZJ Grand Cherokee you see here has a 5.2-liter V8 and four-speed automatic transmission both of which have been restored to proper working order as well as the rest of the car, which is awesome. It also received a few modifications that include a two-inch suspension lift to help clear the 33-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 tires.
The engineers also had to make additional room between the new Dana 44 solid axles, meaning that the front axle is relocated two inches forward, while the rear was moved back three inches (all of that thanks to longer control arms). This further required for the wheel arches to be adjusted as they needed to be widened and the fender flares now nicely cover up these more meaty tires.
What strikes you first is the color which is just remarkable, and it is combined with translucent wood grain paneling along the sides. It has a nice coat of a warm blue hue which is that much highlighted by the matte black accents on the hood, grille, and bumpers. Jeep made sure that it wears custom-made 18-inch wheels which look like the lace-style wheels originally offered on the Grand Cherokee gen one. But this one would not be complete without few Easter eggs scattered around it, and if you did not catch them from the video, there is the “Hammer Time” decal which becomes visible when the third brake light illuminates. Plus there’s a sticker on the back window that reads “OGZJ.”
But the exterior is not all that is great about the 2017 Jeep Grand One. The interior also got the same attention, and it looks, well, it looks perfectly stock like it just got off the assembly line. Surfaces were cleaned and restored, and they look brand new, but the attention to detail does not end there. The cabin wouldn’t be straight out of 90’s if it didn’t have a cassette tape in the old-school radio matched by an equally old-school, in-car telephone, but that is not all. Just for a bonus Jeep has thrown in an original Nintendo Gameboy which is placed on the back seat. Awesome right?!
