Killing the Wagoneer was a mistake. Jeep knows it, which is why the model is making a comeback as the ultimate 3-row off-roader. However, the classics are also collectible, and this one might tickle your fancy if you've got a Hellcat kink.
The official Collins Bros website now lists the red rooster, so you can just call them up and buy it. However, it's not what you'd call cheap. You can find a crappy 1989 Wagoneer for $7,000 or a really nice one for around $30,000. But the bad boy with the Hellcat engine is $128,000.
For that kind of cash, you could buy a Porsche Cayenne or a bunch of other luxury German SUVs with 500+ hp. But nobody else has a Hellcat classic Jeep like this, at least as far as we're aware. Can somebody play the Canyonero song again?
The details of the conversion are pretty hard to find, but our best guess is the old engine was a 5.9-liter rated at about 144 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. Meanwhile, the new engine is out of a 2018 Dodge Hellcat model of some kind and it makes 707 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque.
A Hellcat crate engine is about $20,000, but you have to presume a lot of extra cost is in the accessories. Pop the hood and almost every system seems to be customized to fit the old 1980s Jeep - air intake, battery, fuel system and cooling. Thankfully, there's a lot of room under there.
Needless to say, the exterior is freshly painted in a factory shade of red, but we're not blown away by the interior. Those seats have seen better days and the digital-style black dashboard dials kill the vintage feel of the car. They wouldn't have been accurate for a 1989, but we would have liked to see the pre-Chrysler dials.
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