Throwback Thursday: APE MV4 Buggy Mixes Style & Function from ‘Orvis Edition’ Cherokee
APE-built MV4 Buggy inspired by Grand Cherokee ZJ is setup for daily driving, functional use, hunting, overlanding and camping.
APE is a manufacturing and fabrication company based out of Cookeville, TN. One of the services they offer is building turn-key buggies to specific customer specifications. The vehicle you see here is a custom APE built MV4 buggy that was inspired by the Jeep Grand Cherokee Orvis edition. If you don’t remember the Orvis edition Jeep, it was built from 1995 to 1997. The Orvis edition was mostly an appearance package. It wore Moss Green paint, had some special badging and paint stripe accents on the body cladding and wheels. This was a good-looking Jeep that still inspires builds to this day.
This week’s “Throwback Thursday” is all about this custom MV4 buggy inspired by the Grand Cherokee ZJ. And while this is technically not a Jeep, it had enough Jeep DNA to be considered an honorary member of the club. Recently a video was uploaded to the APE Built YouTube channel. In this video we are given a full walkaround view of this high-end buggy build that pays homage to the Grand Cherokee Orvis edition. There are a lot of custom features to highlight, so we will take a closer look at a few of the most significant aspects of the build.
Powertrain
The engine in an original Grand Cherokee Orvis would have been the 4.0-liter straight six or a 5.2-liter V8. This buggy has neither, but it does have a Mopar 360 5.9-liter V8. It is connected to a Mopar 42RE transmission that was used in the early Grand Cherokee.
An Atlas two-speed transfer case is also part of this impressive package. You will also find a Griffin radiator and a dual electric fan setup under the hood.
Exterior Styling & Modifications
The owner of this MV4 buggy wanted a ZJ grille so you can see this buggy looks very much like a ZJ from the front. Rigid headlights, lightbar, and side mirrors provide plenty of bright light. In the front bumper the is a 2-inch receiver hitch and d-rings. There is also a Warn VR-10S winch up front.
Along the sides are a set of tree kickers to keep trees out of the rear suspension. Out back there is an integrated dog kennel for the owner’s bird dog. Under that is a slide out drawer that is secured by double cam locks.
Suspension & Axles
This is one solid buggy; 14-bolt assembly both front and back. Yukon chromoly axle shafts front and rear. ARB lockers front and rear. The buggy rides on 40-inch tires mounted on DOT-approved beadlock wheels. You can get all the detailed specs from the video, but just looking under the buggy you can see right away that this is built for business.
Step Inside
Do you like toggle switches? Well, you are going to love this buggy. There are switches for the lockers, and all the lighting. This buggy is equipped with an automatic charging relay. This setup is typical on boats. What it does is isolates the batteries. So if you take this buggy on the trail and want to run the lights and the radio or whatever, you can do that until the battery goes dead. But the starter battery is isolated so you can still start the buggy and be on your merry way. The buggy also has an inverter that allows for a pair of 110v outlets. The seats are custom from PRP with 4-point harnesses for all occupants.
MV4 Buggy Orvis Edition
We just scratched the surface of everything this cool little buggy offers. Sure, it might not be a real Jeep but it looks and should perform like one. Watch the video below to get all the details on this unique buggy build.
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