Someone chopped the back end off of a 2015 Jeep Renegade Latitude 4X4 and created their own version of the Comanche truck that Jeep showed off at the 2016 Easter Jeep Safari.
Every Easter Jeep Safari is a cause for celebration, fascination…and mixed emotions. The excitement of seeing so many cool one-off Jeeps, such as last year’s Renegade-based Comanche, is equalled (or even exceeded) by the knowledge that they’ll remain unbuyable styling and engineering exercises.
That’s not the case with the vehicle you see here. True, it’s not exactly a clone of the Comanche that Jeep showed off in Moab. Its headlights aren’t darkened, there’s no front winch, the wheels are different (although they’re wrapped in Toyo Open Country ATs), the bed is close but not quite the same, and it’s missing the Comanche concept’s cool fabric top. The Jeep one-off had a 2.0-liter diesel I4 under its hood; this custom has the Renegade’s 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir 2 4-cylinder engine with 16,800 miles on it.
However, it’s clear what the people behind this Comanche build were going for. It looks close enough to Jeep’s concept to bring it to the minds of Jeep fans. To those who don’t follow the brand, it’s bound to be an eye magnet. Most importantly, it has four-wheel drive and a 1.5-inch lift. According to the eBay seller, it also has a custom rear bumper and a compartment in the bed for a spare tire. They added, “This build was by Jeepboar.com Design and build team Frank Pires, Alan Ensor. We plan on building a few more in a limited number and we do ship over seas.”
If you just have to have this particular little Jeep pickup, you can still place a bid for it. Just know that the title is listed as “Rebuilt, Rebuildable & Reconstructed.” As of the writing of this piece, the reserve still hasn’t been met at $31,800.
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.
