Jeep’s go-anywhere Wrangler is available in two flavors: standard (two-door) and Unlimited (four-door). Before the second option joined the portfolio, a number of aftermarket companies ranging from the well-known and established to the completely obscure offered Unlimited-like conversions to off-roaders seeking more room. One of the wildest and longest examples of the Wrangler we’ve ever seen is currently up for grabs on auction website Cars & Bids.
Located in Massachusetts, this yellow Rubicon looks just like a regular-production second-generation Wrangler (called TJ internally) from the tip of the front bumper to the rear edge of the front doors. Beyond that, it gains about 4½ feet of extra sheetmetal, a set of rear half-doors, and a custom-made black soft top that covers the full interior. Every version of the Wrangler uses body-on-frame construction, so it’s presumably more straightforward to stretch than, say, a unibody Renegade, but the conversion must have required hundreds of hours of work.
Missouri-based Coach Builders LLC stretched this Wrangler when it was new, according to the listing. Giving it wiener-dog proportions allowed the shop to install an extra pair of individual seats directly behind the front row. The factory-fitted rear bench remains mounted over the rear wheels, bumping the SUV’s seating capacity to six. That’s on par with the recently-introduced Grand Cherokee L — when it’s ordered with second-row buckets, at least.
Mechanical modifications are seemingly limited to stretch-related changes, like extending the driveshaft and the exhaust system. It’s still powered by a 4.0-liter straight-six engine, which sends 190 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque to the rear or the four wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission. There’s no word on what effect the extra-long wheelbase has on the Wrangler’s on-road performance, off-road capacity, or turning radius.
In the auction’s comments section, the seller explained he purchased this Jeep new and commissioned the stretch because a four-door option was not offered by the factory at the time. He added that it has mostly been used as a leisure vehicle, and its odometer shows about 42,100 miles, which is low for a 15-year old TJ. If you want it, it’s not too late: Bidding stands at $10,001 as of writing with three days left to go before the end of the auction.
Surprisingly, this is not a one-of-a-kind build. One of the photos in the gallery shows the Jeep next to one that’s almost identical, though it looks like it’s on aftermarket wheels, and the seller said there were originally six made. Odder yet, his collection also includes an amphibious, Honda V6-powered WaterCar Panther that’s also for sale.
Related video: