We know today’s Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as a four-door. But before that came out in 2007, the “Unlimited” was a long wheelbase two-door. That stretched setup was eliminated with the introduction of the current Wrangler bodystyle (JK), but the aftermarket’s just brought it back and it looks awesome.
What we’re looking at here is a current-gen JK Wrangler with a “Dual Sport 106” conversion by an outfit called Trail Concepts.
Named for the 106” wheelbase the Jeep gets after a 10” frame and body stretch is applied, this is the new middle-ground option for somebody looking for a slightly longer two-door new Wrangler. Or ostensibly, a very small Wrangler pickup I guess.
But for the conversion cost of $14,995 you’re going to want more than just a little extra cargo room. You’d have to really need to stand out for this to make any kind of financial sense.
The Dual Sport 106 looks clean though. Maybe even OEM to somebody who isn’t steeped in Jeep knowledge.
Whether or not anybody actually buys it remains to be seen. But the kit, which includes the canvas top and OEM style carpeting, will be on sale at the end of the year.
Meanwhile the original factory-stretch LJ Jeeps aren’t getting any cheaper. Allpar says there were only about 55,000 of the slightly-longer last-generation (TJ) Wranglers built over a two-year production run. For context, over 220,000 regular-sized (two-door) Wranglers were made in the same amount of time.
And if you’ve ever tried to buy a used Wrangler I don’t have to tell you how insanely expensive a 2004 to 2006 LJ would cost you today, even from some dude on Craigslist with to-the-moon mileage. For those who have better things to do than cruise classifieds; you’re going to spend about $20,000 to get one of these. Yes; you can buy this ten-year-old Wrangler for the price of a spectacular secondhand sport sedan.
I doubt the Dual Sport 106 will have the same return-on-investment as a factory LJ, especially now that there are OEM long-wheelbase Wranglers in the current bodystyle. But whoever ends up driving these will certainly be able to say they have a “unique Wrangler,” which is pretty significant accomplishment on its own.
Images via Trail Concepts
Contact the author at andrew@jalopnik.com.