Jeep’s All-Electric Magneto Concept Jeepster Beach Restomod Headline This Year’s 2021 Easter Jeep Safari: News

2021 Easter Jeep Safari
Jeep’s concepts for this year’s Easter Jeep Safari hone in on some awesome ideas, some of which will be available to customers soon through the Jeep Performance Parts catalog. (From left to right: Gladiator Red Bare, Wrangler Magneto, Jeepster Beach and Wrangler Orange Peelz Concepts; Photos courtesy of Stellantis)

The Jeep Magneto and Jeepster Beach concepts will be on display in Moab, Utah, March 27 – April 4 – during the 2021 Easter Jeep Safari!

Among many other concepts we covered on TFLoffroad.com and TFLtruck.com, the Jeep Magneto and Jeepster Beach concepts will be on hand for TFL Studios staff to review in just over a week. One of the best things about Easter Jeep Safari is that it’s not just a stationary display where we stare at a few vehicles we’re unable to drive. Jeep allows us real “hands-on” time with each vehicle, so stay tuned for those videos coming soon.

Jeep Orange Peelz concept.

Every concept at the event represents a variety of possibilities for future products. In some cases, vehicles like the Jeep Orange Peelz concept, are rolling Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) displays. They show off what is, and what could be available through JPP. Other vehicles are dreamed up to gage consumer and media opinions about (possible) future products/future tech – like the Jeep Magneto EV. Finally, there are fun concepts that have no chance for any form of production, but they are downright cool and inspire the public’s interest – like the Jeepster Beach concept.

Part of the TFL Studios’ team will be there, testing the vehicles, shooting lots of video and interviewing Jeep design royalty. We call them that because they like it. On top of that, we will be participating in a variety of Jeep drives throughout Moab. It will be epic!

Jeep’s Wrangler Magneto concept brings a gasoline-free powertrain, with a six-speed manual transmission no less. Don’t expect a production version for a few years, though — this is still very much a “concept”.

Here’s the lowdown on the Jeep Magneto concept

This thing is bonkers, and extremely cool. The folks at Jeep design took a 2020 two-door JL platform and yanked the engine, gas-tank and exhaust system out. This left the standard Wrangler’s 6-speed manual transmission, axles and transfer case with no power, but don’t fret! The engineering team then added a custom-built electric motor that makes 285 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque.

After connecting the motor to the transmission, they added a 70-kWh battery pack on an 800-volt electrical system. The battery pack had to be split into four components for packaging and weight distribution. One pack is under the hood, two are between the front and rear axle, and the fourth one is living where the gas tank and exhaust system once were. It also has two 12-volt batteries for your typical accessories, so you won’t drain down the driving battery packs.

It also has a JPP two-inch lift, 35-inch rubber and 17-inch wheels. On top of that, it has a winch – which is interesting considering how much power they can drain.

Jeep says it will run from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds. Nathan says, “LET ME DRIVE IT!” I mean, a manual EV 4×4? Heck ya!

Jeepster Beach concept

Think of the Jeepster Beach concept as a functional restomod 4×4 and you would be on the right track. The good folks at Jeep grabbed a 1968 Jeepster Commando body and (after some creative tailoring) mounted it on a modern Jeep platform. The donor in question is a 2020 Jeep JL Rubicon, fitted with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. This four-cylinder makes 340 hp and 369 lb-ft or torque — a 25% boost over the standard engine, thanks to an SRT tune. It’s connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The point of this concept is “fun.” Think of an outing at the beach, mix in some retro coolness and a bright-red interior, which is mostly sourced from that JL. Yep, it’s eye-catching. Check out the Hawaiian themes (including the tiki idol), and look at those retro seats. Yep, we’ll be driving this one too!

Are we excited to drive the Jeep Magneto and Jeepster Beach concepts? If you couldn’t tell already – YES. Check out the video below for more information, and stay tuned for a ton of Easter Jeep Safari videos!