The Mopar® Underground design team showcased six customised Jeep® vehicles and Dodge trucks last week at the 43rd annual Moab Jeep Safari 2009.


Overseen by Mark Allen, Chief Designer—Jeep/Truck Design Studio, Chrysler LLC, the Mopar Underground design team has been customising production vehicles since its creation in 2002 .

“These vehicles are built with pride and passion for the Jeep brand by a small group of dedicated engineers, designers and fabricators to explore and demonstrate the many facets of off-roading,” Allen said.

The Mopar Underground design team creates vehicle concepts, which are meant to develop performance parts, accessories and customisation, as well as new vehicle concepts.

“Moab Jeep Safari provides a great venue and works as a proving ground to test Jeep vehicle concepts driven alongside Jeep brand enthusiasts, who can provide immediate feedback at the event,” Allen said.

“As a result, we use knowledge gained at this off-road event to explore new directions for Jeep platforms and to develop Mopar Performance Parts and Accessories to suit these vehicles.”

The Jeep Wrangler Overland is perfect for those craving travel and adventure. Taking a 2009 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited four-door, the Mopar Underground team turned the vehicle into a mobile “on-the-go” self-contained campsite.

To increase cargo capacity for hauling gear, the Jeep Wrangler Overland’s rear seats were replaced with a large, flat, rubberised utility floor. Mounted to the cargo rack is an all-new ARB two-person Simpson II rooftop-mounted tent and touring awning.

Helping to enhance off-road travel is a new Mopar 2.5-inch suspension lift. A full-traction rear sway bar was added, allowing the addition of aggressive 35-inch tyres mounted on 17-inch steel Mopar winter/off-road wheels.

In order to prepare the Jeep Wrangler Overland for desert duty, an American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) Jeep Wrangler heat-reduction hood and snorkel kit is fitted to the vehicle. Mopar windshield-mounted off-road lights and Daystar bumper-mounted lights provide additional lighting for night time and off-road driving.


The Jeep “Grand Canyon II” is the most luxurious off-road vehicle built to date by the Mopar Underground Team. The objective for the team was to take a top-of-the-line 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee and ready it for serious off-road action.


To improve traction for rock crawling, a set of 285/70R17 tyres were mounted on a set of Wrangler Rubicon wheels and fitted with a Superlift 4-inch suspension system. Off-road protection was provided with an ARB high-clearance front bumper and Mopar heavy-duty rock rails.

Mopar Underground’s Jeep “Lower Forty” takes the new Jeep Wrangler platform to a new extreme. The Jeep “Lower Forty” is equipped with massive 40-inch x 13.5-inch 0R20LT tyres mounted on Mopar 20-inch forged aluminium wheels.

The Mopar Underground team turned to the Mopar catalogue for the vehicle’s mechanical upgrades. The Jeep “Lower Forty” features an all-new 5.7-litre HEMI® V-8 engine and a Getrag 238 six-speed manual transmission. Powertrain installations were handled by Burnsville Off-Road using an AEV installation kit.

Mopar supplied Dana 44 front axles and Dana 60 rear axles equipped with 5:38 gears and Dynatrac prepared ARB air lockers to handle the vehicle’s massive tyres.