697bhp. In a Jeep Wrangler? Sounds like the perfect way for the American manufacturer to celebrate its 75th birthday, if you ask us.
The Jeep Trailcat uses the Wrangler’s body, except here the wheelbase has been stretched 12-inches to accommodate the 6.2-litre supercharged V8 Hemi ‘Hellcat’ engine, while ground clearance has been increased by two inches so it can drive over bigger things.
Jeep has fitted 17-inch beadlock alloy wheels wrapped in laughably chunky 39.5-inch BF-Goodrich Krawler T/A KX tyres, Fox shock absorbers and Dana 60 axles to make Trailcat capable of battling the sort of terrain that would make most cars cry.
Meanwhile a six-speed manual gearbox lets the driver really wring out every one of the 697 ponies under the power-dome vented bonnet. Other aesthetic revisions include a satin black grille, seats borrowed from a Dodge Viper and lamps. So many lamps.
From here on it’s speculation, as Jeep is yet to disclose any performance figures. Or how appauling it will be on fuel. But given the standard Wrangler has a 3.8-litre V6, the Trailcat can only be significantly faster – even if all those modifications make it much fatter.
The Jeep Trailcat was actually built to celebrate another significant milestone, the 50th anniversary of the Easter Jeep Safari annual event in which participants take on the gruelling terrain of Moab in Utah, US, over a nine-day period.
The meanest kitty on the block, then? Hell yes. Can you buy one? Not yet – for now this is just a show of what Jeep can do when its engineers can let their hair down. Best cross your fingers and toes.
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