Baja Bop: The Jeep Sandstorm Is a Chopped Wrangler Built for High-Speed Desert Abuse

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Inspired by specialized off-road vehicles built to withstand the brutal conditions of Baja desert-racing competition, the Jeep Sandstorm is also said to perform well in that other unforgiving hostile driver environment: public roads and highways. Despite giving off more than a whiff of the upcoming Wrangler pickup—which will have a full four-door crew cab—the Sandstorm’s telltale cut-down rear doors reveal its Wrangler Unlimited origins.

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Far from just a cosmetic job, the Jeep Sandstorm concept has heavy-duty front and rear Dynatrac 60 axles with a 5.68:1 gear ratio and 17-inch beadlock wheels wrapped with 39.5-inch BFGoodrich Krawler tires. High-speed stability is addressed by moving the front axle four inches forward and securing it with a heavy-duty long-arm four-link suspension and track bar. The rear axle is moved two inches to the rear and utilizes a triangulated trailing-arm four-link suspension. Wheel travel is increased significantly both front and rear—custom coil-over dampers with reservoirs permit 14.0 inches of travel in front and an impressive 18.0 inches of travel in the rear. A 6.4-liter V-8 engine plucked from the pages of the Mopar performance catalog provides motivation, sending its grunt to the axles via a six-speed manual transmission.

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Exclusive exterior bits include a chassis-integrated cage that incorporates a rear-mounted spare-tire carrier, chopped-down rear doors, a vented carbon-fiber hood, and vented high-clearance front and rear fender flares. Additionally, the exterior handles on the rear doors have been removed to help camouflage their existence, as on the Jeep Chief concept of a few years ago, and the swinging rear gate has been removed for obvious reasons. Baja-inspired styling elements include high-clearance front and rear tube bumpers, modified rock rails, a race-style fuel filler, KC Carbon series front auxiliary lights, and a chase light. An integrated onboard air compressor gives hope that a flat tire or two won’t result in a night under the stars.

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New interior features include a racing-inspired gauge cluster, a 7.0-inch off-road GPS unit, and rocker switches to control the onboard electronics, air compressor, and axle lockers. The factory Wrangler interior plastics and carpet are banished, and the floor is covered in a tough bedliner material. Leather-trimmed front seats and low-back racing bucket seats in the rear offer passengers a modicum of comfort in an otherwise purpose-built environment. And while it would be tempting to reference listening to Darude’s monster EDM hit “Sandstorm” in this post, it would just be be drowned out by the tire noise.

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