A few months ago, Jalopnik called on Chrysler to restore the sagging state of American manliness by building a Jeep Wrangler pickup. Today, Jeep finally announced the pricing and details for a kit version. While $5,499 ain't cheap, many good things aren't.
It's only a start, as America now more than ever needs the freedom of a factory built, all-terrain small pickup, preferably with an option for a V8 Hemi or diesel. Jeep says a factory version is in some distant future plans, ranked lower on the to-do list than hustling a few more Fiat-sourced crossroaders out the door that will never see any surface rougher than the grassy slopes outside a John Mayer concert.
Until that time, this will have to do: the Mopar JK-8 kit, part number 77070049. It's not cheap: the $5,499 doesn't include the short-term lease of brain and muscle power from the doctors Frankenstein in your dealer's garage. But it includes all the necessary pieces and instructions, namely a 44-inch by 50-inch bed, and a warranty.
For that money, and a little time, your ho-hum Wrangler could be transformed into the Ron Swanson of vehicles, climbing the pyramid of greatness with a brace of smoked pork meat in its gullet, ever hungry for more.