Instant Hero/Instant Superhero/Elvis
(Oct.-Dec. '96)
Truck: '97 Jeep Wrangler
Theme: "A practical and reliable 4x4 that's capable enough to turn you into an instant hero at any Jeep Jamboree."
Some Upgrades: New suspension, 33s, air lockers, 4:1 transfer case
When it was just Instant Hero, it got a "minimal selection of specific upgrades that we tested to prove the most climb for the dime," which included 31-inch tires, 15x8 wheels, and 4.10s. Graduating to Superhero status meant "like anything else that's really good, we just had to have more. And more usually means bigger, so that's exactly what the new Wrangler got. Bigger...and better." Performance and looks became the new goal ("so our Wrangler no longer gets the 'wannabe' look from trail trash").
Did its air lockers and 4:1 lead to the Wrangler Rubicon? Definitely maybe. Some Jeep insiders say the Rubicon model had been brewing for a while since the automaker had its own avid off-roaders in-house. Others say, yes, it was 4-Wheel's leadership. Most non-giveaway project vehicles get crushed by the automaker after they have been built and returned by a magazine, but Freiburger said that "when the project was over, we got a request for Elvis to go to the Chelsea proving grounds because they wanted to test it more. I saw it there at least a year later, and one of the guys told me it was the favorite Jeep with testdrivers and that they still called it Elvis." P.S. It was so named after an Elvis CD got stuck in the player.
Project Power Play
(July '94-Nov. '94)
Truck: '94 GMC Sonoma
Theme: Giveaway truck, "built for work and play."
Some Upgrades: Paint, exhaust, wheels, tires, posi, stereo, multipurpose axe tool
"A head-turning, one-of-a-kind 4x4 that's equally awesome as a daily driver and as a total weekend-fun machine." You may find the upgrades tame, but that was because this was to be a giveaway truck, so it had to stay smog-legal. Its name came from "the most powerful V-6-motored downsize pickup there is," and its target audience-beyond people who wanted a free truck-was the "hard-playing outdoor enthusiast." In fact, the winner got the truck and a pop-up tent trailer. Third-placers got a pair of boots. Sorry, third-placers.
Project Old Iron
(Dec. '86-Jan. '90)
Truck: '57 Chevy
Theme: "Combine the rich history and tradition of an early-model Chevy pickup with late-model four-wheel-drive technology."
Some Upgrades: Built small-block, Detroit Locker, '78 Chevy 4x4 running gear, CD player
That's not a typo-Old Iron started in the December issue, ran six times in 1987, then took a six-issue hiatus and dragged on until 1990. "I don't recall why Old Iron was so long in the building," replied Steve Campbell when we asked, WTF? It was a restoration and buildup, which the story said was "originally meant to be a quick-hit resto project using affordable equipment to accomplish the 4x4 conversion. Over the years, however, Project Old Iron sometimes got away from us." The chassis alone took six months to complete, and near the bitter end, exhaustion oozed from the pages ("has it been almost three years?"). "With the nickname Old Iron, the truck is almost ready for the street and dirt." Its debut was actually the show circuit.