Autoblog

Originally intended as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of Evel Knievel's unforgettable Caesar's Palace jump, U.K. bike dealer Jack Lilley has created a special edition of Triumph's on-and-off-road Scrambler. The choice of motorcycle makes sense because that original jump some 40 years ago was done aboard a Triumph T120 Bonneville. Although the project was started before his death, it has taken on new meaning now that the legendary stunt-man has passed and is a tribute to more than just that one jump. According to the dealership, the bike "is based on a Scrambler and has a superb paint job along with short front mudguard, Thruxton seat and hump, chrome engine cases, red cam cover and other small details." The one-off tribute bike will be sold with a signed picture of the man himself in mid-jump and will command a few thousand extra over the base price of the Scrambler. Um... yeah, and we want one.

[Source: Jack Lilley via Motorcycle USA]

The good people at Allpar.com unearthed some very interesting information about the oft-rumoured resurrection of a small pickup bearing the Jeep name. We had reported as recently as August that a Jeep pickup based on the Gladiator Concept shown at the 2005 Detroit auto show had been axed because of the cost to develop the vehicle on its own unique platform. It turns out that all this while Jeep had been working on another pickup that actually is based on the Wrangler platform, and would therefore be less expensive and easier to produce. Rumored to be called the Scrambler, the truck will be unveiled at the SEMA show next week in Las Vegas with a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 underhood, winches front and back, an oversized wheel/tire combo and additional styling tweaks like safari slits on the raised roof. The SEMA show is an apt venue to present the Scrambler, since it's expected that Jeep will also announce that the pickup bed will be made available as a kit for those interested in retrofitting their 1997-2006 Wranglers. The kit would likely cost between $8,000 and $10,000, not including installation, and also require lengthening the Wrangler's frame using parts supplied with the kit. Doesn't sound like a DIY affair for a lazy autumn afternoon, but the prospect of a new compact pickup entering the market is exciting. Through sheer apathy, Ford finds itself offering the only compact pickup with its age-old Ranger, as the competition has all grown in size and power over the years. A new compact pickup from Jeep that's priced right, trail-rated and practically useful could be a big score. Such a vehicle powered by a torquey four-cylinder or light-duty diesel engine could also be extremely popular in these fuel conscious times, as well.

Click the Read link to see more pics and read the inside scoop from Allpar.com.

[Source: Allpar.com]

Are you pining for a production version of the Jeep Gladiator concept? If so, you'll probably wish you could have a crack at the vehicle above, as well.

Tiger Auto of Japan created a special Wrangler pickup for the Tokyo Auto Gallery, and it looks just fine to us. The boys at Tiger took a standard Jeep TJ, stretched the wheelbase 600mm (23.6 in) and then custom-fabricated the rear cab enclosure and the pickup bed. They documented the whole build in a series of photoessays on their website. (Look for the links labeled "Lung Ra" pickup.)

The result is a very well-finished neo-Scrambler whose overall length matches that of a new Commander. A modest 2" lift, custom convertible top, Recaros, and wheel/tire upgrade add the finishing touches. We're big fans of the old-school embossed Jeep logo on the tailgate, too. This one-off by Tiger is much more appealing than the Scrambler concept shown at the 2005 NADA meeting. The NADA Scrambler was oddly-proportioned and pretty strange-looking.

We'd love for DaimlerChrysler to greenlight a production version of the Gladiator, but in lieu of that, we'd happily take Tiger Auto's Wrangler pickup. It may be the best Scrambler on the road today. Pity there's only one of them.

(Rear shot after the jump)

[Source: Tiger Auto via Response.jp]