Jeep vehicles leave the factory designed for adventure, off-road capability, and fun. As the rigs in the following videos show, they stay that way long after their showroom shine wears off.
This first clip features a Cherokee that’s been stripped to the max. We’re talking at least one front fender, all of the glass except the windshield, the doors, and the rear hatch. Surprisingly, the back seats remain. Part of the makeshift grille doesn’t, though. It falls off as the driver of the Cherokee tries and tries again to get it up an ascent-thwarting earthy incline. He spins its tires, high-centers it, and almost tips it in his quest to get to the top. Some of the footage is brutal, but everyone in it seems to be having fun and the XJ takes the bumps without breaking (completely).
The second video we have here shows a roughed-up Grand Cherokee showing off for a larger crowd. A good deal of its screen time shows it driving around an expansive muddy course. It looks like a good time, but it’s not terribly climactic…until it is. Watch the ZJ get some air – and a grilleful of muddy water. Just don’t close your eyes when it lands or you’ll miss the satisfying giant splash.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
