Forget a Ferrari Purosangue, We'd Rather Own Vigilante's Viper Swapped '79 Jeep Cherokee
Over the last year, I've traveled the country test driving some of the most unique restomods American wrenchers have had sent out of their garages. From giant outlets with 100,000 square feet or more facilities to tiny ones working out of a single-bay garage, no shop is too big or small for me to come barging in. Then again, no shop I've come across has a Viper V10-swapped Jeep Cherokee just chilling out on the shop floor.
That's a luxury that, to my knowledge, only the team at Vigilante 4x4 has access to. Just outside the sprawling southern tech bro city of Austin in Johnson City, Texas, a Belgian transplant named Daniel van Doveren and his Texan wife Rachel take Jeeps from every era and revitalize them with the best of modern Mopar drivetrains. Alongside its sister company, Jeep Heritage, which specializes in more cut-and-dry, parts-matching restorations, this team knows their way around a classic Jeep better than some AMC employees back in the day.
Then again, the old American Motors Corp didn't benefit from modern 3D scanning and computer-aided design (CAD) technology the way Vigilante 4x4 can. With the power of the microchip at his disposal and a team of techs and artisans, Vigilante can make old Jeeps capable of things they never could have been in their eras. From interior and exterior trim pieces to gauge clusters and door handles, Daniel and Rachel's team can restore any aspect of an old Jeep's constitution and even upgrade it beyond what it was built to be capable of.
Want a classic Jeep with a modern HEMI engine, a modern stereo, leather seats, and an Android Auto head unit to top it all off? Heck, do you want to upgrade to a 392 or even a supercharged Hellcat motor? For the team at Vigilante, this kind of thing is second nature, practically routine at this juncture. But even among a sea of HEMI V8-swapped classic CJs, Cherokees, Wagoneers, and J-10 trucks, this Viper V10-swapped 1979 Cherokee is the king of kings. Bar-none, it's the most insane restomod ever to come out of the Austin metroplex.
On first impressions, there aren't too many indications that just the kind of vicious beast lies underneath the hood of this restomod. Just tasteful two-tone light blue on white paint and a tasty set of BFGoodrich tires. A crisp new paint job, assuredly, but nothing that speaks to what's really going on behind the scenes. This notion is furthered when you pull that delightfully tactile reproduction door handle, which opens to reveal a matching light blue interior with seats lined in a plush denim-like material.
A period-correct steering wheel and custom-designed diamond-plated gauge cluster go miles to completing that classic look, as do the HVAC vents, designed in-house using CAD software and a 3D printer. From top to bottom, everything you see, touch, and smell in this interior looks and feels every bit like the 70s 4x4 that inspired it. It's only when you turn the key and unleash the savagery of ten rampaging cylinders that the true nature of the ultimate Vigilante 4x4 build makes itself known. That Viper engine we mentioned? It's been stroked to a scarcely believable 9,000 cc or nine liters (550 ci) of displacement.
With 825 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque at its disposal, this is certainly not the kind of vehicle you learn to drive stick with. Thankfully, the Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual gearbox is well up to the task of handling all the power, assuming the person behind the wheel is competent with their left foot. With an Advanced Adapters Atlas two-speed transfer case behind it and a Dana 44 axle front with a Dana 60 in the back, this drivetrain and all its surrounding components are configured to be as beefed up as Vigilante 4x4 could possibly fit under a classic Cherokee body.
Thanks to Fox Racing shock absorbers and a four-wheel coilover suspension setup with a triangulated four-link rear, a Vigilante Motors Cherokee build handles trails and pavement with a grace and effortlessness that AMC engineers only wish they could've mustered. Fourteen-inch Baer drilled, grooved, and slotted brake rotors ensure this Jeep stops unlike any OEM classic Jeep ever could. As Daniel took me on a drive down the roads around his main shop, there was a real sense that this Jeep was so far removed from its heritage that it might as well be a whole different species.
The eagerness with which this Cherokee leaps off the line in an almost cartoonish way made for an adrenaline rush far more effective at waking you up than any can of Bang or Monster. Even high up in the rev range in second or third gear, this Jeep wanted nothing more in the world than to chirp its tires as it drove along. Only a quick and snappy working of the throttle prevented a complete spinout on more than one occasion. Better still, there weren't any suspect rattling or clunking noises on this drive, like you might expect of the experience of driving a car that's 45 years old, regardless of how modified it is.
With a functional Vintage Air Magnum V climate control unit interfaced with those 3D-printed HVAC vents, a definite downside of constant sweatiness that often defines driving older 4x4s is effectively made null and void. In a way that must look like witchcraft to folks only familiar with what driving a classic Cherokee ordinarily feels like, this Vigilante restomod accelerates, corners, stops, and drives so much like a modern vehicle that it almost doesn't seem real. With all the cargo space in the world behind the rear seats, this Cherokee is still a relatively practical vehicle, if not the most economical in the world.
Considering that the 2017 Viper, which was the last production car to sport this engine, netted a combined 14 MPG, an entire extra liter of displacement, plus an entire full-sized SUV on top of it must make the fuel economy of this Cherokee truly abysmal. But you should know that this Jeep's future owner was wealthy enough to source the base vehicle, pay for a full rotisserie restoration with all the fixings, fit a stroked Viper drivetrain under the hood, and ship the whole shebang to Hawaii for use as their daily driver. So it's safe to assume that fuel economy hasn't been a concern for this person for quite some time, if ever.
How much would it cost to have a Cherokee like this built to your liking? Well, a couple of factors weigh heavily on the particulars. But a quick look at the Vigilante 4x4 website reveals that a similar Texas-sourced 1988 Jeep Wagoneer with a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 engine under the hood is currently on sale for the low price of $385,000 before taxes and fees. Considering how exotic a Viper V10 drivetrain is compared to a Hellcat, you start to see that base MRSP shoot into the stratosphere. In truth, Vigilante 4x4 and its sister firm, Jeep Heritage, offer four levels of restoration ranging from $165,000 at the low end to $295,000 for the range-topping restomod package.
But even among the normal fare, this Viper swap is nothing short of a Halo vehicle for Vigilante 4x4. The kind of build that showcases the best and greatest that a restomod shop can achieve, amplified to its loudest and most eye-catching condition. Compared to the OEM Lamborghini Urus and Ferrari Purosangue that you can buy for around the same money, a Vigilante Jeep restomod is special in a way that a modern car simply can't without decades of nostalgia behind it.
It's a vibe and a look completely unique to this Jeep and other off-roaders like it from this, perhaps the most cherished period in the history of the 4x4. For this reason, and for the gracious offer to come visit Daniel and Rachel's shop that we owe the Vigilante 4x4 team our thanks.
That's a luxury that, to my knowledge, only the team at Vigilante 4x4 has access to. Just outside the sprawling southern tech bro city of Austin in Johnson City, Texas, a Belgian transplant named Daniel van Doveren and his Texan wife Rachel take Jeeps from every era and revitalize them with the best of modern Mopar drivetrains. Alongside its sister company, Jeep Heritage, which specializes in more cut-and-dry, parts-matching restorations, this team knows their way around a classic Jeep better than some AMC employees back in the day.
Then again, the old American Motors Corp didn't benefit from modern 3D scanning and computer-aided design (CAD) technology the way Vigilante 4x4 can. With the power of the microchip at his disposal and a team of techs and artisans, Vigilante can make old Jeeps capable of things they never could have been in their eras. From interior and exterior trim pieces to gauge clusters and door handles, Daniel and Rachel's team can restore any aspect of an old Jeep's constitution and even upgrade it beyond what it was built to be capable of.
Want a classic Jeep with a modern HEMI engine, a modern stereo, leather seats, and an Android Auto head unit to top it all off? Heck, do you want to upgrade to a 392 or even a supercharged Hellcat motor? For the team at Vigilante, this kind of thing is second nature, practically routine at this juncture. But even among a sea of HEMI V8-swapped classic CJs, Cherokees, Wagoneers, and J-10 trucks, this Viper V10-swapped 1979 Cherokee is the king of kings. Bar-none, it's the most insane restomod ever to come out of the Austin metroplex.
On first impressions, there aren't too many indications that just the kind of vicious beast lies underneath the hood of this restomod. Just tasteful two-tone light blue on white paint and a tasty set of BFGoodrich tires. A crisp new paint job, assuredly, but nothing that speaks to what's really going on behind the scenes. This notion is furthered when you pull that delightfully tactile reproduction door handle, which opens to reveal a matching light blue interior with seats lined in a plush denim-like material.
A period-correct steering wheel and custom-designed diamond-plated gauge cluster go miles to completing that classic look, as do the HVAC vents, designed in-house using CAD software and a 3D printer. From top to bottom, everything you see, touch, and smell in this interior looks and feels every bit like the 70s 4x4 that inspired it. It's only when you turn the key and unleash the savagery of ten rampaging cylinders that the true nature of the ultimate Vigilante 4x4 build makes itself known. That Viper engine we mentioned? It's been stroked to a scarcely believable 9,000 cc or nine liters (550 ci) of displacement.
With 825 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque at its disposal, this is certainly not the kind of vehicle you learn to drive stick with. Thankfully, the Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual gearbox is well up to the task of handling all the power, assuming the person behind the wheel is competent with their left foot. With an Advanced Adapters Atlas two-speed transfer case behind it and a Dana 44 axle front with a Dana 60 in the back, this drivetrain and all its surrounding components are configured to be as beefed up as Vigilante 4x4 could possibly fit under a classic Cherokee body.
Thanks to Fox Racing shock absorbers and a four-wheel coilover suspension setup with a triangulated four-link rear, a Vigilante Motors Cherokee build handles trails and pavement with a grace and effortlessness that AMC engineers only wish they could've mustered. Fourteen-inch Baer drilled, grooved, and slotted brake rotors ensure this Jeep stops unlike any OEM classic Jeep ever could. As Daniel took me on a drive down the roads around his main shop, there was a real sense that this Jeep was so far removed from its heritage that it might as well be a whole different species.
The eagerness with which this Cherokee leaps off the line in an almost cartoonish way made for an adrenaline rush far more effective at waking you up than any can of Bang or Monster. Even high up in the rev range in second or third gear, this Jeep wanted nothing more in the world than to chirp its tires as it drove along. Only a quick and snappy working of the throttle prevented a complete spinout on more than one occasion. Better still, there weren't any suspect rattling or clunking noises on this drive, like you might expect of the experience of driving a car that's 45 years old, regardless of how modified it is.
With a functional Vintage Air Magnum V climate control unit interfaced with those 3D-printed HVAC vents, a definite downside of constant sweatiness that often defines driving older 4x4s is effectively made null and void. In a way that must look like witchcraft to folks only familiar with what driving a classic Cherokee ordinarily feels like, this Vigilante restomod accelerates, corners, stops, and drives so much like a modern vehicle that it almost doesn't seem real. With all the cargo space in the world behind the rear seats, this Cherokee is still a relatively practical vehicle, if not the most economical in the world.
Considering that the 2017 Viper, which was the last production car to sport this engine, netted a combined 14 MPG, an entire extra liter of displacement, plus an entire full-sized SUV on top of it must make the fuel economy of this Cherokee truly abysmal. But you should know that this Jeep's future owner was wealthy enough to source the base vehicle, pay for a full rotisserie restoration with all the fixings, fit a stroked Viper drivetrain under the hood, and ship the whole shebang to Hawaii for use as their daily driver. So it's safe to assume that fuel economy hasn't been a concern for this person for quite some time, if ever.
How much would it cost to have a Cherokee like this built to your liking? Well, a couple of factors weigh heavily on the particulars. But a quick look at the Vigilante 4x4 website reveals that a similar Texas-sourced 1988 Jeep Wagoneer with a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 engine under the hood is currently on sale for the low price of $385,000 before taxes and fees. Considering how exotic a Viper V10 drivetrain is compared to a Hellcat, you start to see that base MRSP shoot into the stratosphere. In truth, Vigilante 4x4 and its sister firm, Jeep Heritage, offer four levels of restoration ranging from $165,000 at the low end to $295,000 for the range-topping restomod package.
But even among the normal fare, this Viper swap is nothing short of a Halo vehicle for Vigilante 4x4. The kind of build that showcases the best and greatest that a restomod shop can achieve, amplified to its loudest and most eye-catching condition. Compared to the OEM Lamborghini Urus and Ferrari Purosangue that you can buy for around the same money, a Vigilante Jeep restomod is special in a way that a modern car simply can't without decades of nostalgia behind it.
It's a vibe and a look completely unique to this Jeep and other off-roaders like it from this, perhaps the most cherished period in the history of the 4x4. For this reason, and for the gracious offer to come visit Daniel and Rachel's shop that we owe the Vigilante 4x4 team our thanks.