Rob gives us a tour of the Jeep Wrangler 392 Low Down Concept, one of four new vehicles revealed at the 58th Easter Jeep Safari. Low Down is probably the last concept we'll see with the 392 available from Jeep and has definitely taken cues from the popular 2009 EJS ‘Lower 40’ two-door concept — taking it into the JL era, yet keeping a stock suspension on 42-inch BFG Krawler tires.
For this one, designers found a way to fit that oversized rubber without adding lift by performing some creative fabrication, as well as swapping out those stock axles for Dana 60s with 5:38 gearing.
The inner fenders were also removed, while the rear fenders required some trimming to ensure they were no longer pushing into the rear doors. Other interesting exterior features are a custom carbon hood with a see-through hood and roof offering a bespoked red-tinted bikini top engineered to allow light into the cabin while still somewhat protecting riders from inclement weather.
Even with no suspension changes, the larger rubber does add some ground clearance to this concept, which provides extra room for a custom set of carbon fiber fender flares, while shorter front and rear bumpers provide a bit of protection and enhance the look. They also keep the vehicle’s center of gravity low even though clearance, approach, breakover and departure angles are all increased.
The whole thing is set off in an eye-catching Poison Apple red paint hue, but one thing to notice is there are no exterior rear door handles. However, designers still wanted easy rear access so they left the interior handles alone so those doors could still remain active.
Just like the older Lower 40, this edition also features a V-8 engine for all its propulsion needs — the same 6.4L-liter 392 that currently adorns a Wrangler of the same name and throws out 475 horsepower. But a few tweaks on this one are a unique race-style filler cap and custom ‘rocket fuel only’ decal behind the rear left quarter panel.
Also up front are LED lights molded into the leading edge of the fenders and custom grilles cut into the top of the flare, as much to help airflow as just providing an additional visual.
Interior callouts are custom black leather seats with cloth inserts and breather rings, rhino-lined flooring and a special radio-delete instrument panel that now features large ‘392’ badging.
