“Let’s go Jeepin’ now, everybody’s learnin’ how, come on a Jeepfari with me!” Well, okay, those aren’t the lyrics and that ain’t the song. Why I liked the Beach Boys, I don’t know. I’ve never been surfin’. And never been “Jeepin!” Frankly, never really been very far off-road unless you count the 1975 trip around the horn in Baja where my 1965 VW van ended up stuck in the sand out on some outta-the-way beach on the Pacific side. Lucky that guy on a mule came by and for a bunch of bananas helped Ry and me out of there!!! ‘Cuz in 1975 there wasn’t much out there on that side and we were OUT OF CERVEZA!!!!

The Jeep Has Been Around

What American vehicle is more iconic than the Jeep? Yes, I know I previously said that about Corvettes and Mustangs. But the Jeep is truly an American automobile story.

The Jeep was apparently born in 1940 when it became clear that the U.S. would be involved in the European theater of WWII and the U.S. Army asked 135 companies to build a small, light, four-wheel drive vehicle. Only American Bantam Car and Willys-Overland responded. So American Bantam Car built the first prototype in just 49 days. Willys-Overland and Ford joined the project to help build enough vehicles for the war. The Willys MB became the main military model, using a strong “Go-Devil” engine. “Lore” has it that the name “Jeep” likely came from saying the military abbreviation of “GP” (General Purpose) out loud. This Jeep became the primary light four-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Armed Forces and the Allies during WWII and into the post-war era. Although the Willys design “won out,” the “govmint” needed a lot of them, and fast!!! So Willys-Overland granted the government license to allow another company to help produce them and the US chose Ford to build Jeeps to Willys’ specs.

After the war,Willys did not resume production of its passenger-car models, choosing instead to concentrate on Jeeps and Jeep-branded vehicles, launching the Jeep Station Wagon in 1946, the Jeep Truck in 1947, and the Jeepster in 1948.

The CJ/Wrangler Evolution

The CJ series (Civilian Jeep) was introduced in 1944. Willys started making this first civilian Jeep, known as the CJ-2A in 1945. They became popular with farmers and builders for tough outdoor work. The CJ lasted until 1986 when its successor, the Wrangler, was introduced.

The Wrangler YJ went on sale as a 1987 model. This first gen series lasted until 1995, the second gen TJ from ’97 to 2006, the JK from 2007 to 2018, and the JL series from 2018 to the present.

Nowadays, the Wrangler comes in trims from the bare-bones, no frills Sport with a 3.6L V6 engine, manual windows and locks and Command-Trac 4x4 capability to the hard-core Moab 392 (or Rubicon 392) packing a 6.4L HEMI V8 that delivers 470 horsepower. In between are the Sport S (more “conveniences”), Willys (more off-road upgrades), Sahara (more tech-saavy, and comfort-oriented), Rubicon (the ultimate hardcore off-roader), Rubicon X (the Rubicon with a bit more “luxury”) and the Moab 392.

The SaddleBrooke Softball Jeepsters

Buzz Schmidt’s 1995 Jeep Wrangler “Rio Grande” (First Generation) - Buzz’s ‘95 is the final year of the first-generation (YJ) Wrangler. The RIO GRANDE trim was a special edition for 1995 only marking the final year of the YJ series. It was a cosmetic upgrade to the base 4 cylinder 2.5L inline 4. Buzz picked his up N-E-W in ’95 and thirty-one years later is still cruising in it today.

Billy Rowe’s 1997 Jeep 4.0 TJ/Sport (Second Generation Wrangler) - Well, Bill has been a desert dweller for fifty years and (that’s about 1975 ish folks) and has had to beat his way on desert roads through the bush (well, creosote bushes anyway) to his casa. I think he told me once he’s been out Catalina/SaddleBrooke before SaddleBrooke existed!!! So he’s had a variety of “desert-capable”rides. He wanted to tell me all about the rest of them. BUT HEY, this is a Jeep story! Anyway, around Spring of ’99 the opp to acquire a 1997 Jeep TJ/Sport arose and he jumped on it. The FIESTA/POTTERY store out here in Catalina on Oracle Rd was a car dealership!!!! Really!! Well, Bill’s still got it, but removed it from daily service during Covid and prepped it for “refreshment,” which was completed in 2024. Bill’s baby sports the 4.0 in-line six cylinder with a five-speed manual (love a manual). This machine produces 181 horses and 22 lb-ft of torque. Natch a 4WD with Quadra-Coil multi-link suspension (say what? Translation – Coils at each corner replacing older leaf springs). Of course, by 1997, the Jeep had outgrown (mostly) its “bare-bones” interior and the TJ includes many “regular car” features and options.

Rick Buonarigo and His 2024 Wrangler “Rubicon” - Third baseman extraordinaire (“the glove”), Rick Buonarigo just picked up his “High-Anxiety” (okay,okay, “High Velocity” – saturated yellow with a green tint) “hued” Rubicon in 2025. The Rubicon is a top-tier, factory built off-road trim level available for the Wrangler and Gladiator pickup. So it comes heavily equipped straight from Jeep able to handle extreme trails, rocks, mud and steep inclines.

The name Rubicon was inspired by the “Rubicon Trail,” a famously rugged 20-mile off-road route in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe, California. First introduced by Jeep in 2003, the badge signifies that the vehicle can conquer this legendary trail “right outta the box.”

Car Corner Trivia

Last Issue Questions – Repo Man & “The Dude” (The Big Lebowski)

  1. REPO- What was the car with the “Radioactive, otherworldly, vaporizing force” in the trunk?
    1. ANSWER – 1964 CHEVY MALIBU
  2. REPO- What car did Bud (Harry Dean Stanton) drive? 1970/71 CHEVY IMPALA
  3. REPO – What car did the repo competitors (the Rodriguez Brothers) drive? 1964 FORD FALCON FUTURA CONVERTIBLE
  4. REPO – What car was Otto’s (Emilio Estevez) first repo? 1978 WHITE OLDS CUTLASS SALON
  5. REPO – What car do the mirror-shade-sunglass-wearing secret government agents drive? 1971 AMC MATADOR
  6. LEBOWSKI – What was the “Dude’s” car? 1973 FORD GRAN TORINO
  7. LEBOWSKI – What car did porn producer Jackie Treehorn drive? OOPS! NONE!!! THE 1985 RED CORVETTE WHICH WALTER SMASHED BUT WAS “LINKED” TO JACKIE FROM EVENTS IN THE MOVIE ACTUALLY BELONGED TO A NEIGHBOR OF LARRY SELLARS, THE KID WHO STOLE THE DUDE’S CAR.
  8. LEBOWSKI – What car did Bunny Lebowski drive? 1989 RED JAGUAR XJ-S CONVERTIBLE
  9. LEBOWSKI – The private dick trailing the Dude. What was his car? BLUE 1971 VW BEETLE
  10. LEBOWSKI – In the “adult” movie “Logjammin” what car does Uli (film name “Karl Hungus”) drive? 1994 BMW 318i CABRIO (E36) CONVERTIBLE

Famous Movie Jeeps

  1. JURAASIC PARK – What’s the Park’s model?
  2. TWISTER – In what Jeep are they chasing the storms?
  3. CLUELESS – What Jeep is Cher Horowitz cruising in?
  4. LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER – THE CRADLE OF LIFE – Angelina’s ride?
  5. BACK TO THE FUTURE – Marty catches a ride on the back of ?????
  6. M*A*S*H (of course) –you can’t just say Jeep! What model, what year?

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