This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.
Jeep Wagoneer 2000 Concept
First Shown: 1991 Detroit Auto Show
Description: Large 4-door SUV
Sales Pitch: “What a future Grand Wagoneer might look like.”
Details:
First seen at the 1991 Detroit Auto Show, the Wagoneer 2000 Concept was meant to preview coming large Jeep SUVs. The enormous 4-door utility was 80 inches wide, almost 200 inches long, and rode on an improbably long 138-inch wheelbase. Power for the AWD Wagoneer 2000 came from a 220-horsepower 5.2-liter V8 mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. The concept featured 6-passenger seating in a 2+2+2 arrangement.
Featuring luxury-level amenities, the concept was equipped with a TV as well as a VCR and CD Player. To ease entry and exiting, built in steps lowered from the jambs when the doors to the Wagoneer 2000 were opened.
Forgotten Concept: Chevrolet Blazer XT-1
CG Says:
Three decades later, there is, again, a Grand Wagoneer, and it is large, V8 powered, and packed with luxury features. And while the new Grand Wagoneer is not universally regarded as attractive, it is not ugly, which the Wagoneer 2000 Concept certainly was. A shame, as the vehicle accurately predicted where the SUV movement was headed, at least in terms of general packaging and utility.
The most baffling element of the Grand Wagoneer 2000 Concept is the soft, amorphous grille. So much of Jeep’s design heritage is found in strong, recognizable grille treatments, so it’s odd that the stylists behind this concept would serve up such a faint nod to the brand’s past. To this author, the Wagoneer concept looks like the unholy union of a monk fish and a Ferrari 456; my apologies to both.
As with many concept cars seen just before the dawning of the internet, there is very little information available about the Wagoneer 2000, and maybe that’s a good thing. Yes, the concept is predictive of future SUV design and usage, but it is not easy to look at.
Jeep Wagoneer 2000 Gallery
(Click below for enlarged images)
