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by Patrick Rall
The Jeep Quick Sand Concept is one of the two Moab concept vehicles teased before its unveiling. While it looked interesting in that shadowy sketch, the real thing is truly a masterpiece. In fact, the Quick Sand Concept is my favorite Jeep/Moab concept, in all of my years in the Mopar world.
The Jeep Quick Sand Concept is technically based on a new Jeep Wrangler two-door, but I don’t believe that there are many (if any) components from a production Wrangler in this stunning sand racer concept. The wheelbase was stretched, but the body was shortened. The windshield and rooflines were chopped down for a lower profile, but the center section of the roof has been cut away for open air cruising in every situation.
Really, every aspect of the body has been altered to create the Quick Sand Concept, including the hood, which has been redesigned to open by flipping forward while a large hole cut in the middle allows the 8 Hillborn-style injection stacks to reach out into the open air.
That exposed injection setup feeds a Mopar 392 cubic inch Hemi crate engine, mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and fitted with a unique dual exhaust setup which has a muffled mode and an open headed mode. With the push of a button on the custom dash panel (labeled “Obnoxious Loud”), an electronic valve system diverts the exhaust through the open headers extending out behind the front wheels or through the normal exhaust system.
That 392 Hemi makes the Quick Sand very quick in the sand, but since this vehicle was built for Moab, it is more than just a sand racer. To make it more off-road capable, this classically-styled hot rod Jeep has custom 18-inch wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires measuring 32 inches up front and 37 inches out back – marking the first time that Jeep has used a staggered wheel size setup. These wheels are fitted to the end of heavy duty front and rear axle assemblies while front and rear coilover suspension setups will allow this Jeep to handle almost any terrain.
Since the Jeep Quick Sand was designed to look like an old school hot rod with off-roading capabilities, it has an old school front-mount racing fuel tank, but instead of housing fuel, this little tank is actually the protective case for a Warn winch.
Out back, it has a drag-style parachute box, which swings open to reveal an emergency tow strap instead of the parachute.
Finally, the interior starts with a customized Jeep Wrangler dashboard, updated with unique gauges and a switch panel for the lockers, ignition, and exhaust system.
The manual transmission shifter has an acrylic shift knob with a tiny Wrangler inside; the low-back bucket seats fit perfectly in the chopped body. A roll cage was a must for the Quick Sand, as are the dual fuel filler doors (one on each side), feeding into a racing fuel cell mounted in the rear cargo area.
I will admit that while I have done my share of off-roading, I am a drag racer, so it should come as no surprise that I absolutely love this hot rod Jeep. The staggered wheel/tire combos, the low-slung body design, the hood with the injection stacks poking through, the old school front fuel cell, and the fake parachute out back all come together to create what I consider to be the coolest looking Jeep concept I’ve seen in my days covering the industry. I love the classic hot rod styling applied to a Wrangler and, frankly, I am stunned at how well this design works on the small SUV.
Adding a 392 Hemi with open headers, the 6-speed manual transmission, the heavy duty axles and the high performance suspension bits surely make this an incredible driver in any conditions, so in addition to looking great – this thing has got to be a blast to drive.
Of all of the Jeep concept vehicles built with help from the Mopar division, this heavily modified Wrangler looks to me like it would be the most fun to drive on the road, in the sand or in the woods –and it would look cool in the process.
A hot-rod Jeep Wrangler might not make the most sense, but here it is, with a 392 Crate Hemi, eight-stack injection, and six-speed Getrag manual transmission. The downturned open headers add to the hot-rod feel. It has a longer than standard wheelbase, trimmed front and rear, and chopped hardtop and windshield.
The staggered tire setup, never used on any past Jeep concept, uses 32 inch Goodrich KM2 tires in front and 37 inch KM2s in the back, on vintage alloy wheels. It has coilover shocks and a Warn winch in a front-mounted Moon tank; a recovery rope in the rear replaces the drag racer’s parachute.
See the other 2017 Moab Jeep concepts • Other concept cars at allpar
Concept cars are often made so a car’s feel can be evaluated, problems can be foreseen, and reactions of the public can be judged. Some concepts test specific ideas, colors, controls, or materials — either subtle or out of proportion, to hide what’s being tested. Some are created to help designers think “out of the box.” The Challenger, Prowler, PT Cruiser, and Viper were all tested as production-based concepts dressed up to hide the production intent.
Concept cars • popular: Firepower • Tomahawk • ME412 • Mighty FC • Gladiator
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