Jeep Concept II: The ‘Proto’ Renegade That Predicted the Future
Decades before the Jeep Renegade, the Jeep Concept II offered up concepts totally foreign to off-road enthusiasts at the time.
Forty-plus years ago, you might have been called crazy for even suggesting that a subcompact, front-wheel drive Jeep would succeed in the marketplace. Today, you’d be heralded as a genius with vision far beyond their time. But long before modern vehicles like the Jeep Renegade landed on dealer lots, there was the Jeep Concept II. Built by AMC way back in 1977, this tiny little ride was about two-thirds the size of a CJ at the time. But as we learned from this fascinating Autoweek feature, it was also a little too far ahead of its time to be feasible.
The biggest problem with the Jeep Concept II is that it wasn’t just intended to be some new product, slotted below the CJ. In fact, it was built to actually replace the CJ5, which seems like pure heresy to this day. Thankfully, the fuel crisis dimmed down a little bit and people came back to their senses. Which meant they started buying regular, traditional Jeeps once again. Thus, the Concept II faded into obscurity.
The tiny little concept was a whopping two feet shorter than the CJ, and featured Renault power to go with its front-wheel drive layout. At the time, American Motors had been suffering in the sales department for years following a prosperous run. Things were so bad, in fact, that many were predicting the company would soon go out of business altogether.
Thus, then-AMC vice president of styling Paul Teague designed the Jeep Concept II as a means of righting the ship. With an eye toward, you guessed it, a downsized CJ. The wheelbase was eight-inches shorter, and overall height was reduced by nine inches. Surprisingly, however, the door openings were larger than the CJ. And there was plenty of room inside for four passengers. The prototype featured Alpine White paint, a Levi denim blue interior, and a matching blue top.
Though it was well received at the time, the Jeep Concept II never saw production as CJ sales rebounded. But today, we could certainly see a market for this baby Jeep. Especially with an American drivetrain and four-wheel drive.
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