Throwback Thursday: Remembering the Jeep TJ Wrangler Brute by American Expedition Vehicles

Before Jeep built the JT Gladiator American Expedition Vehicles filled the Jeep pickup void by offering the TJ Wrangler Brute.

There was the original Jeep Gladiator that came out in 1963. Before that there was the Willys-Overland Jeep 4×4 Truck that came out in the late 1940s. There was the Jeepster Commando that was available from 1967 until 1973. The Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler was available in the early 1980s. And then the Jeep Comanche that was sold until 1992. The point is Jeep has a long pickup truck history. But when the Comanche left the market Jeep didn’t offer another pickup for almost thirty years until the JT Gladiator was released. For folks that lived through the years when Jeep didn’t make a pickup, they had few options. One option was to turn to the folks at American Expedition Vehicles (AEV). They offered a Jeep TJ Wrangler Brute. It was a real Jeep pickup built on a stretched TJ frame.

This week’s “Throwback Thursday” is all about the Jeep TJ Wrangler Brute by AEV. AEV is still in business and building some fantastic Jeeps for off-road duty. And some of their builds are Jeep pickups. But today they are based on the JT Gladiator that is available to purchase at any Jeep dealer. If you want an old school Jeep pickup built on a TJ chassis, then you need to look at a Wrangler Brute. They are rare but they are out there. And because of their rarity and the fact that it is on the much-loved TJ platform, the Brute holds some advantages over the newer JT. The Brute you see here was recently featured in a video posted to the Expedition Portal YouTube channel. And this Brute is the only one that AEV ever built with a diesel engine.

Jeep TJ Wrangler Brute

At the time of its release, AEV marketed the Brute as the Jeep pickup that Jeep doesn’t build. It was originally designed back in 2002. It was offered with either the factory 4.0L straight-six or a 5.7L Hemi V8. The truck you see here has neither of those engines. This Brute is the only one in the world built by AEV with a 3.3L Cummins turbodiesel. It only makes about 100 horsepower. But it does make 300 pound-feet of torque. And that engine will likely make that power for longer than any of us will be alive. Of course, being an AEV build the Jeep has a full compliment of upgraded off-road gear. It will take you almost anywhere you want to go.

Brute or Gladiator?

Today if you want a Jeep pickup you can head over to your local Jeep dealer and buy a Gladiator. Assuming they have any in stock and that you are OK paying above MSRP. But it is still easier to get than a Brute. And of course, the newer truck has a full warranty, the latest technology and safety equipment. But it will be one of about 20 at your next local Jeep show. Get a Brute and you might never see another for as long as you own it. Plus, it is a much simpler vehicle that has far fewer points of failure.

Special Pickup

The Brute filled a void left by Jeep. That has since been filled with the Gladiator, but the Brute will always have a special place in history. Would you prefer this older TJ-based pickup or the newest Gladiator? If you did get this Brute, would you still wheel it or would you keep it locked up in a garage as a collector’s item?

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