The J8's will be assembled by Jeep Government and Military Sales, which surprisingly isn't a Chrysler company, instead owned by parent company Jankel which is in the military and tactical vehicles business. The company has headquarters in both Surrey, UK and Duncan, South Carolina and that South Carolina part is important as they're planning to build the military spec beast down there. Currently the J8 is built as a knockdown kit in Toledo and shipped to Eqypt for final assembly and sales to foreign militaries (unless it's sent to AEV who sells them domestically). We weren't given a time line, but were assured it would be in the near future. We'll take the green one with the C-channel bumpers and awesome open-air hard top, the desert tan one with the weapons ring just seems a bit gaudy.

For those unfamiliar, the Jeep J8 is a military-only product, stamped out in Jeep's Toledo assembly plant and shipped to Egypt for final assembly and distribution. It's designed to a durability standard three times that of the civilian version and comes with a built Dana 44 front axle, Dana 60 rear, leaf springs in the rear, pintle hitches, a reinforced frame and body and stripped amenities. The only problem is, Chrysler doesn't offer it to US civilian buyers. American Expedition Vehicles saw this opportunity and contracted with Chrysler to obtain up to 120 vehicle kits a year, which they assemble and sell as a rolling chassis to rabid Wrangler fans who will supply their own motivation, installed at an approved dealer. We just had to know what it could do off-road, so along with Mike Levine of PickupTrucks.com, we decided to find out.

Michigan's Island Lake State Park is little more than an also-ran to it's more flashy fraternal twin across the I-96 freeway, Kensington Metropark. But Island Lake holds a secret — a 1000 acre off-road park normally off-limits to the public due to liability issues. Chrysler donates engineering vehicles to the park for patrol duty and, in return, they get wink-wink, nod-nod access to the massive facility. In a former life, it was home to a concrete and gravel business, now it's a mélange of high hills and low ponds all covered in a slippery sand and pea gravel surface material — perfect to test the merits of a hairy-knuckled Jeep.

This particular J8 is equipped with a VM Motori 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel — definitely not an engine you'd be able to purchase in a production Jeep state-side — so what we've got here is a real torque monster. Great for crawling rocks and powering through muck, but tough to get a lot of entertaining wheelspin going. That doesn't mean we didn't have a hoot tossing it into disconcertingly deep water and then covering it with sand in the hills. The J8 was totally in its element here; crawling, traversing, bogging, crushing, bashing... it was the perfect tool to have a lot of fun.

The bare interior is awesomely functional. Nobody was concerned about how long it would take to get the mud out of the carpets, there are no carpets. The radio didn't drown out the turbo whine, there is no radio. It was, at times, problematic. Let's just say bashing your elbow into the raw steel interior panels takes some getting used to. We're not saying we'd wuss out and order one with stuff like "roll cage padding" or "B-pillar panels," just that we need to toughen up our elbows a bit. The MILSPEC is raw, it doesn't even come with floor mats and the assembly rivets poke through the floor, making this a no-flip-flop zone.

The MILSPEC took everything we threw at it and didn't even blink. In fact, we thought we heard it yawn. It's like a billy goat with an attitude. As we left our magical off-limits, off-roading heaven, we drew stares from the onlookers as we bombed along at freeway speeds where engine, tire, and road noise serenaded us sweetly. There was even the occasional rubber-necking Wrangler owner. The AEV J8 MILSPEC is every part the beefy and unique machine it's intended to be. It's a wolf in wolf's clothing.

Having said that, it's hard to justify the approximate $50,000 you'd need to put together a complete model, more if you want a fancier engine. The AEV Hemi Wrangler would make a better toy, while AEV's own Brute Conversion adds just $8,995 to the price of a previous-generation TJ Wrangler, endowing it with similar functionality from pickup bed and beefed up running gear. Sure, it's more Russian gangster than African mercenary, but the savings will buy a whole bed full of semi-legal apocalypse survival gear.

If you'll remember, the J8 gets manufacturer-supplied upgrades us civilians could only wish to find order form check boxes for: a beefed-up frame, heavy duty axles, brakes and suspension, and a hood mounted snorkel/filter system capable of fording 30 inches of water while in a five hour long sandstorm — though in our experience those needs are usually mutually exclusive. The latest Jeep you can't buy but have always wanted will be fitted with a five-speed auto hooked up to a 2.8-liter turbodiesel good for 158 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque. Awesome, but that's not the big news here. No, the big news is the truck version.

Most important is the J8 will be offered in a variety of body styles including a two door with a long cargo box in the back. Yes, they've finally made a new Scrambler, and you can't buy it. If you're wondering about that high-pitched wailing in your ears — it's the sound of thousands of off-road and trail-rated geeks crying into their breakfast burritos.

Mostly what's coming to our mind is the Jeep curse — you know, the one where every corporate owner of the Jeep brand starts from scratch at making cool stuff, and just as it starts to arrive, their owner goes bankrupt, leaving Jeep alive, profitable and ready to start the cycle again.

Yes, sweet military contracts, a production partner in Egypt, close to conflict zones, and a relatively cheap mil-spec product, sounds like a plan for success — for Jeep. [MotorAuthority]

[via PickupTrucks.com]

...command vehicle to troop/cargo carrier, ambulance, communications vehicle and other duties not requiring being shot at. The J8's powered by a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 158 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque mated to a five-speed auto tranny — giving it a towing capability of up to 7,716 lb. In addition to being an Army man, this new offering from Jeep's a Marine, complete with a hood-mounted snorkel enabling the J8 to wade in water of up to 30 inches deep. The J8 comes in two flavors — a four-door multipurpose vehicle with all the same seating configurations of the original Wrangler Unlimited, or, for the military man who's a fan of the Brute pickup package for the Jeep, it also comes in a — wait for it — a two-door version with an extended pickup bed. That's right — a pickup bed underneath that dark plastic top — just like the JT concept car and the Brute conversion. We'll take two please, one in camo and the other in matte black. Full press below.

Chrysler LLC has unveiled the Jeep J8 multipurpose vehicle at the 2007 Defence Systems & Equipment International (DSEi) military trade show, making the legendary vehicle available for reenlistment in active military service.

"Jeep vehicles made their original debut in 1941 for military duty, and have built their reputation with more than 65 years as the world's benchmark for off-road capability and versatility for civilian and military vehicles," said Thomas Hausch, Vice President - International Sales, Chrysler LLC. "The new Jeep J8 marks the brand's return to vehicle production for military and civilian government use - the same capability that makes the Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited famous also makes the Jeep J8 a truly multipurpose vehicle."

With the all-new 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as the starting point, Jeep engineers increased its capability and versatility. The frame of the Wrangler Unlimited is reinforced for increased ruggedness and to allow greater payloads - up to a maximum of 1,339 kg (2,952 lbs.). Axles, brakes and suspension components are engineered specifically for more demanding military and civilian government use, including utilising a leaf-spring suspension system in the rear. The J8's Command-Trac four-wheel drive system allows maximum versatility and performance in both on- and off-road conditions.

The Jeep J8 is powered by a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that produces 118 kW (158 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb.-ft.) of torque, providing towing capability of up to 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs.). The engine is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. The J8 also features a unique air-intake system with special filtration and a hood-mounted snorkel that enables the J8 to wade in water up to 762 mm (30 in.) deep and tackle sandstorm conditions for up to five hours.

Available as a two-door with an extended pickup bed for personnel or equipment transport, or a four-door multipurpose vehicle, it may be produced with numerous vehicle-body and seating configurations in either right-hand- or left-hand-drive.

While not designed for front-line combat operations, the Jeep J8 is fully armour capable and excels in a variety of duties ranging from command vehicle to troop/cargo carrier, ambulance, communications vehicle and other duties - also making it suitable for civilian government applications. Heavy-duty bumpers with tow eyes allow the Jeep J8 to be easily transported by aeroplane or helicopter.

The Jeep J8 will be produced in a Chrysler LLC joint-venture facility in Cairo, Egypt, and will be available in spring 2008.

Jeep in the military

In June 1941, the U.S. Army received its first shipments of the Willys MA, the rugged 4x4 vehicle that came to be called the Jeep. This predecessor to today's Jeep Wrangler would prove so vital to the Allies' World War II effort that General Dwight D. Eisenhower declared that the war could not have been won without the Jeep vehicle.

Jeep vehicles have been produced for various militaries around the world. The Jeep J8 marks the start of Jeep's renewed commitment to supply the defence community with the highest-quality 4x4 vehicles available anywhere in the world.