Here’s a POV of All the Gladiator Concepts Coming to Easter Jeep Safari

Focus on Jeep pickups has led to some awesome concept vehicles, including a classic military vehicle with Hellcat power.

The 53rd Annual Easter Jeep Safari will begin on April 13 in Moab, Utah and when it does, attendees will get to check out a spread of trucks modified by Mopar and the Jeep team. Mopar and Jeep work together to create unique concept vehicles for Moab every year and there is usually at least one truck in the group, but with the debut of the new Gladiator, all six of this year’s concept vehicles are pickups.

These trucks will all make their public debut in a few days, but FCA recently had a small media preview and I was on the guest list, so I got to check these wicked machines out in person. Today, we bring you a closer look at each of the Mopar-modified Jeep pickups headed to Moab.

FlatBill

The Jeep Flatbill was designed to appeal to someone who lives the motocross lifestyle, with the name coming from the flat-billed hats that many riders wear.

This Gladiator features a host of upgrades that someone who spends lots of time on a dirt bike might add to their own midsized pickup, including huge wheels and tires, a custom suspension setup, flashy graphics that match the colors of their bikes and a carrier system that holds two motorcycles.

This Jeep also has a custom vented carbon fiber hood and a handful of other bodywork that gives the truck a unique look while also making it more off-road-capable.

This includes Dynatrac Pro-Rock 60 front and rear axles, an Off-Road Evolution four-inch lift kit and 20-inch beadlock wheels wrapped in 40-inch rubber.

Gladiator Gravity

Next up, the Gladiator Gravity was designed to showcase a huge assortment of Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts that are available or will soon be available for the new Jeep pickup.

The team started with a Gladiator Rubicon in Punk’N Metallic Orange, adding a bed rail system, an in-bed cargo system, tubular doors, a mesh “sunbonnet”, windshield tie-downs, a two-inch lift kit, 17-inch wheels, rock rails, a collection of LED exterior lights, a cold air intake, a cat-back exhaust system and a Katzkin leather interior package.

There are other small items, but in the long run, this Jeep shows what a new Gladiator owner can do by ordering just about everything that Jeep Performance Parts and Mopar offer for the new truck.

Scrambler

The Jeep Scrambler is simple, but I love it. Anyone who was into Hot Wheels as a kid surely remembers playing with a toy truck that looked a great deal like this one, right down to the awesomely-‘80s paint scheme.

Like the Gravity, the Scrambler has a long list of upgrades from Jeep Performance Parts and Mopar, including things like a cold air intake, a cat-back exhaust system, LED exterior lights, a two-inch lift kit, 17-inch wheels and a bolt-on brush guard, but the main attraction with this truck is the one-off bed bar.

This steel bar looks just like something that we would have seen on a small off-road truck in the 1980s, with a rollover protection bar extending above the rear of the cabin, flowing down along the tops of the bedsides.

This piece looks incredible and if Jeep Performance Parts introduces this in their catalog, I am certain that it will be popular with owners of the new midsized truck.

Here’s a POV of All the Gladiator Concepts Pre-Easter Jeep Safari continued…

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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