Mopar Nukizer

Back in April, I was sent on assignment to Moab, Utah, the site of the Easter Jeep Safari. Every year during the Safari, Mopar show up and put taste of their latest creations on display for the media. With such concepts, it usually a case of “you can look, but don't touch.” However, the good folks at Jeep and Mopar gave us a slightly more exciting order of, ”sure you can jump them, just don't roll it.”

With unprecedented amount of freedom to explore what the minds at Jeep and Mopar could create, we were able to put the impressive Nukizer 715 through its paces in the dunes of Moab.

Based on the diesel powered chassis of the J8 Military reconnaissance vehicle,  the Nukizer 715 is an all-purpose truck that pays homage to the the beloved military-only Kaiser M-715 truck. The initial design was put together by the Jeep design department while it was the Mopar team that got their hands dirty converting the vehicle into what you see before you. The front end of the Nukizer could easily be mistaken for replacement panels, however the entire front clip is a custom built carbon fibre work of art, built to perfectly cover the internal structure while keeping true to the original. They did such a good job that the headlights retain their standard mounting bezels. The J8 bumpers were kept along with the Helicopter lift rated tow hooks mounted either side of the Warn 9.5XP low-profile winch.

To keep a unique look, the windshield received a small chop, and Bestop provided a unique soft top which artfully captures the traditional downward slope of the original. Behind the cab the team added the familiar AEV Brute pickup box with the addition of a centrally sunken spare tire mount. The J8’s 116-inch wheelbase had to be stretched eight inches to 124-inches to make the bed fit.

Drivetrain upgrades include beefy Dynatrac Pro-Rock Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear axles filled with 5:38 gears and ARB Airlocker differentials. Power is distributed by an Atlas II transfer case spinning custom driveshafts from Tom Woods. To put the power to the ground, tires are 38-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrains mounted on Hutchinson beadlock wheels. The powerplant remains a J8-specific 2.8-liter turbo diesel I-4 that has been treated to a re-programmed computer for more boost. Fuel is supplied from a custom Gen-Right tank made specifically for this vehicle and mounts to the rear cross member.

To finish it off Mopar added rock rails and off-road bumpers, Warn air compressor, Terraflex dual-rate front sway bar and a Garmin GPS Map 640 navigation unit. Then there was the popular grey colour that was matched from the colour of a garbage can. Simple, yet cool.

Driving this beast was an impressive experience to say the least. I have been dreamed of a diesel powered Wrangler for some time, and the J8 performed just as I expected. The 4-cylinder turbo diesel works magnificently to power the Nukizer through the deep sand, and was even grabbing some air along side its counterpart, the Ram Runner. The trucks extra wheelbase also provided a sure stance in the sand, even when sliding around dunes at speed. The Nukizer was a masterful concept design built on the best Jeep chassis I've had the please to drive in anger. Despite the huge fan fare the truck has garnered since it's unveiling, it still remains only a concept, although, I'm not giving up on the possibility of diesel powered Wrangler making in to our shores.

SPECS:

Engine: 2.8-liter turbo diesel I-4

Transmission:  four-speed automatic

Overall height:  75.2 inches

Overall width:  78.6 inches

Wheelbase:  124 inches

Weight:  4,500 pounds

Tires:  38 x 14.50-R17 BF Goodrich KM2

History: The Original

In 1940 the world was erupting into war. At this time America was still sitting on the sidelines, however, Germany was about to start sinking American merchant vessels moving resources to Britain. Also, the Japanese were about to overrun American held Philippines, while pressure from allied countries urging the Americans to get in the game made it clear that the US couldn't stave off conflict much longer. The US Army at this time was still using the aged Ford Model-T as their General Purpose (GP) vehicles. It was clear that a new vehicle would be needed for the coming war that would require a highly mechanized force.

In June 1940, the U.S. military informed automakers that it was looking for a “light reconnaissance vehicle.” The Army invited 135 manufacturers to bid on production and developed a lengthy specification list. They wanted a vehicle with a 600-lb load capacity with a wheelbase less than 75-inches, a height less than 36-inches, a gross weight below 1,300-lb, a fold down windshield, three bucket seats and blackout driving lights. But most importantly, this vehicle needed to have a two-speed transfer case and four-wheel-drive. Only three manufacturers answered the call, Bantam, Ford and a newly reorganized company called Willys-Overland.

Willys-Overland was founded by John North Willys who bought Overland Automotive from the Standard Wheel Company back in 1908, then renamed the company Willys-Overland. During this time Willys began buying up several automotive companies to the point that they had become the second largest automaker in the US by 1918, behind Ford. However, with the great depression the company fell into bankruptcy. By 1936, they had sold off all their acquisitions to become a viable automaker once again when the Army came calling.

In the summer of 1940, Willy's along with Ford and Bantam got approval to build 7 test examples of their respective designs. The Willys prototype, named the Quad, was initially thought to be too heavy. For a second round of field testing, the Government released Bantams blueprints to both Willys and Ford sighting that Bantam did not have the resources for war-time mass production. As a result Willys incorporated several of the Bantams designs in the new Quad and the engineers stripped out all the weight they could find. Bolts were cut, sheet metal thinned and ten pounds of paint was taken off. When weighed, they had seven ounces to spare, and renamed it the “MA” for “Military" model "A." Fords prototype, the Pygmy, also benefited from the release of Bantams designs. As a result, 1,500 examples of each were built for field testing purposes.

However, by this time, the threat of war was very real, and the Army still didn't have a standardized vehicle. At the time the MA was considered more attractive mostly due to its more powerful engine. And so the War Department hastily made the decision to go with the Willys bid, but wanted all the best bits of the Ford and Bantam incorporated into the MA. With the winning bid in hand, Willys complied, modified the MA with the desirable parts from Ford and Bantam and re-designated it the MB.

While the 4,500 field test prototypes where shipped to Russia and Britain as part of the lend-lease program, Willys began production of the MB late in 1941 at the companies Toledo Factory in Ohio. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, America entered the war and production of the MB was increased to the point one vehicle was leaving the factory every minute and a half. Soon the US would find itself fighting in two theaters of war, so additional MB were built by Ford, under license to meet the demand, while Bantam was relegated to building trailers for the vehicles they had a major hand in designing. By the end of the war, Willys would produce more than 368,000 vehicles, and Ford an additional 277,000, for the Allied forces.

During the war, the MB was the lifeblood of the military, and its durability and performance proved without a doubt to be one of the major factors for winning the war. It could operate without strain from three to 60 miles per hour. It could handle a forty-degree slope, turn in a thirty foot circle, and tilt on a fifty-degree angle without tipping over. One soldier commented, “It does everything. It goes everywhere. It's as faithful as a dog, strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carries twice what it was designed for, and keeps on going.”

During its service in the war, the MB picked up a nick name given to it by the soldiers that drover it. Troops began calling the MB the Jeep. There is no definitive evidence as to how the name came about, but the more popular story is that when “GP” was slurred by soldiers, it sounded like they were saying jeep. Another story, says the name came from a character in the Popeye cartoon.

Willys trademarked the “Jeep” name after the war and planned to turn the vehicle into an off-road utility vehicle for the farm. As soldiers returned home from overseas, finding customers who respected the abilities of the Jeep would not be a problem. The first civilian Jeep vehicle, the CJ-2A, was produced in 1945. Willys advertisements marketed the Jeep as a work vehicle for farmers and construction workers. It came with a tailgate, side-mounted spare tire, larger headlights, an external fuel cap and many more items that its military predecessors did not include.

The CJ would continue to evolve over the years while Willys added several other versions based on the same platform. Willys came out with a delivery panel van in 1946, a one-ton pick-up version was conceived in 1947 along with a woody wagon. In 1956, a cab-over commercial truck was designed on a CJ-5 platform. Designated the FC-170, standing for “Forward Control,” due to its seating position over the front wheels for added cargo space.

Jeeps line of 4WD vehicles would become ever more popular over the years. The original little army jeep would transform into the CJ then the Wrangler. It has survived five corporate ownership changes to become the most recognizable 4WD brand. Today, the Wrangler Rubicon represents the best out-of-the-box all-terrain vehicle available on the market in North America. In it's military life, the MB would evolve into the M-38, then in 1981, the US military decided that after serving in three major wars, the little Jeep was obsolete. AM General won the contract to replace the jeep with their High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, HMMWV for short. Ironically, like the Jeep back in the forties, HMMWV when slurred by an American soldier sounds like “Humvee,” and thus torch was passed to start a new era in all terrain mobility.

Feature: The Swiss Army Knife of Transportation

A Swiss army knife is an important piece of kit to own. It’s a single tool that is capable of serving its owner in so many ways. Anything from hunting, preparing and eating food, self-defense, hygiene, cracking a beer at a party and everything in between. However, for much larger task’s like road maintenance and repair, agricultural duties and getting much need supplies to a battlefront in rough terrain, the jack-of-all-trades has always been, and will be the Unimog.

 

Built by Daimler-Benz, the Unimog is one of the world’s most capable off-road vehicles. They are still pretty rare here in North America, as the vehicle was never sold here, however, the Unimog’s icon status in Europe has meant several private importers have been slowly trickling the specialty vehicles into the country for over a decade now. Very quickly the Unimog, both older and newer versions are becoming the darling of the off-road community, allowing four-wheelers to go deeper into the unknown.

 

The Unimog has an interesting beginning, as it’s creation mimics that of the Land Rover in several ways. After the fall of World War II, the British where looking for a vehicle that would serve both as rural transportation and take on many tasks of a tractor. With the successful Willies Jeep 4WD vehicle making a name for itself in their military, the British wanted a similarly useful vehicle of their own, creating a truck that could navigate through the rain soak rural fields, and had power take-offs to power saws, winches, mowers and just about anything that could be jimmied up to take rotational force to do a job.

 

It was around this same time that Albert Friedrich, previously the Head of Aeroengine Design at Daimler-Benz, was thinking along the same lines. He put forward a concept for a vehicle with a basic design that would be versatile for tasks of all kinds, possess superior off-road mobility with a four-wheel-drive drivetrain featuring portal gear axles and differential locks front and rear. It would also have a compact cab, outstanding robustness and power take-offs front and rear for attaching a multitude of working implements. This was the concept being thrown around as early as 1945, and was a hit at the 1948 German Agricultural Show, with 150 orders made. With that the project was streamlined for production with the Massrs. Erhard & Sons coming on as development partners.

 

The truck was given the name Unimog, which is an acronym for "UNIversal-MOtor-Gerät," or universally applicable motorized implement. An unusual name even for the Germans, but described its abilities well. The first versions were simplistic to

 say the least with a small open cab, flat bed and equal size wheels in order to be driven on roads at higher speeds than standard farm tractors. They were powered by Daimler-Benz’s 25-hp OM636 diesel engine became standard equipment in the first production, while the track width of 1,270 millimeters was equivalent to two potato rows. This was a truck aimed at the agricultural community and they embraced it, as its power take-offs allowed farmers to attach a myriad of useful machines to work in the fields and forests.

 

Production began in 1948 at the mechanical engineering factory of Boehringer in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Erhard and Sons did not have the production capacity needed, and due to wartime concessions, Daimler-Benz was not permitted to build 4WD vehicles. These laws changed with the creation of the West German Republic and the success of the Unimog prompted Daimler-Benz to take over the project completely, moving production to their Gaggenau plant in 1951.

 

1955 saw the first complete redesign of the Unimog, introducing the infamous 404. This truck would become a legend as its abilities and usefulness meant it wasn’t discontinued until 1980, with 64,242 units produced. However, this truck was geared more toward cross-country trucking rather than an agricultural implement. It featured a massive upgrade in power with a 2.2L 82 hp straight-six petrol engine mated to a synchromesh gearbox. This much larger 

 could climb a 70% grade, while capable of a 90% decent. It had a ground clearance of 40 cm, could ford nearly a meter of water, had a side slope angle rating of 46 degrees, with 46 degree approach and departure angles. Off-road abilities were coupled with a weight of 2,900 kg and a 1,500 kg payload. These numbers were impressive in 1955, and when the cold war started to pick up, West Germany began to re-arm the military, and the Unimog faired heavily in their plans. Over half of all 404’s built went to the German military while countries all over the world saw the potential of such a vehicle, snapping up nearly all the rest.

 

Over time, the simplicity, durability and down right unbeatable versatility of the Unimog continued to be a success. Exploited by both the agricultural and military industries, the commercial industry was now starting to take notice, and Daimler-Benz listened. Soon specialty vehicles could be ordered with fire fighting or ambulance kit, be configured to be a mobile workshop or weather forecasting station, or kitted for municipal and rail maintenance. The possibilities were endless, while the added go-anywhere abilities only made the choice for businesses to go mobile all the more attractive. Because of this Daimler-Benz also started to increase the production range, now building lightweight, mid-sized and heavy versions. The OM 352 diesel's now used for power introduced direct injection for the first time, raising power quickly from 70 to 80 hp to 100 hp used by a new 416 series launched at the 1969.

In 1976, the face of the Unimog changed once again with a new angular design. The new 424 was complimented by the renaming of all Unimog versions. The traditional rounded style Unimogs were designated U 600/L, U 800/L, U 900 and U 1100/L. New angular shapes were the hallmark of the Unimog U 1000, U 1300/L, U 1500 and the flagship, the U 1700/L with a 168 hp engine. The letter "L" indicated the long-wheelbase version. These new trucks feature many improvements including disc brakes for the first time.

 

Today, you can’t go anywhere in Europe without seeing a Unimog doing some kind of labour, whether it be hauling goods, cleaning tunnels and sign posts along the Autobahn or carrying troops and equipment. It is the workhorse of Europe. The latest design has been so popular that special editions such as the Funmog and the Unimog Black edition be created for wealthy eccentrics to play on their acreages. Travelers outfit all years and ranges with living quarters to explore the world over. They are used for absolutely everything, and have created a cult following.

 

Unfortunately, the Unimog is still not commercially available here in Canada, a country that would have a great use for such rugged and versatile machinery. However, it’s becoming more and more common to spot them on the roads, as importers are bringing fifteen year old vehicle into the country as they are so popular with off-roaders and small businesses that need to get equipment out into the bush or mines. Like the influx of Japanese JDM vehicles into the country, the abilities of the Unimog will be exploited.