A Press Kit for a 1986 Had Unpublished Secrets

By Kristen Finley - June 16, 2023

Press kit for a Jeep Wrangler from 1986 contained information that never made it to the internet.

In case you weren’t already aware, 1986 was the first model year of the Jeep Wrangler as a production vehicle. Before that, they were exclusively manufactured as war machines — and damn good ones they were. So much so, in fact, that when GIs were bringing them back from the battlefield, the idea of producing a more consumer-friendly version struck Jeep like lightning. Though, of course, the Jeep name as we know it now was a hat under the American Motor Corporation’s umbrella at that time.

During some eBay surfing, David Tracy from the Autopian discovered a seller that only sold rare automotive press kits — and, like many of us, Tracy jumped at the chance to dive into such a rich slice of Jeep history. After waiting a while for the package to arrive, Tracy discovered some incredible press photos and a plethora of documents. Though, what he didn’t expect, was the well of information that never made it to the internet.

The Jeep Wrangler YJ was ultimately different from the CJ — and the photos within showed a vehicle that was slightly different from the production model (which isn’t the shocking part). The bumpers and front mirrors were different, and language throughout the press documents continued to highlight just how different the YJ was from the CJ. Before this, AMC had come under fire for the YJ’s predecessor being uncomfortable and quite prone to tipping over — hence the enthusiasm to make sure journalists knew just how different it was. In one of the documents scanned by Tracy, AMC’s vice president Francois Castaing went on to say:

““We’re completely confident of the Wrangler’s off-road capabilities…but the factors that make this vehicle particularly unique are its smooth ride characteristics for every transportation.”

A Press Kit for a 1986 Had Unpublished Secrets

What Tracy discovered that was forever lost to the internet were some tech specs that were never made clear. In the press kit, an optional 255/75R15 tire size for the Off-Road package. There was also a fully comprehensive specifications sheet that published the official departure and approach angles of the YJ, which had never officially been published to the internet. Also to Tracy’s surprise were the ground clearance figures — something that, beforehand, he’d never been able to find.

If you’d like to take a look at more scanned photos, scanned documents, watch funny videos and view the full press kit as a PDF, check out Tracy’s article here.