1979 Jeep Cherokee S Combines Retro Style With 825 HP Viper V10
Vigilante 4×4 blesses its top of the line 1979 Jeep Cherokee S with a fortified Viper V10 and other modern touches while also retaining its retro appeal.
It’s no secret that restomods are all the rage these days, and it’s not difficult to see why. After all, who doesn’t like a good old fashioned American classic – like, say the Jeep Cherokee – but, perhaps, isn’t exactly thrilled with its underpowered, higher-maintenance powertrain, lack of modern amenities, or downright rough ride quality? That’s precisely what has many gravitating toward modern restomods, which offer the solution to all of those problems in what could be considered the perfect vehicle. And to us, this new 1979 Jeep Cherokee S from Vigilante 4×4 might be precisely that.
Vigilante 4×4 has turned out Jeep Cherokee S models before, albeit, with newer Mopar powertrains such as the naturally-aspirated 392 V8 making 485 horsepower and even the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 found in Hellcat models that churns out 707 horsepower. However, this 1979 Jeep Cherokee S is equipped with a Mopar Gen V Prefix 9.0-liter Viper V10 that’s producing a whopping 825 horsepower and 750 pound-feet of torque, which is mated to a six-speed manual transmission driving all four wheels via an Atlas-II transfer case and Dana 44/Dana 60 front and rear axles.
Underneath, one will find a thoroughly modern suspension setup paired to a custom chassis as well, one that includes a four-link Eibach coilover system with Fox Racing shocks, which makes for a smooth ride while also optimizing off-road performance (if one dares take their pricey restomod rock crawling, we suppose). Braking has been enhanced with a set of six-piston units with Hydroboost power assist, and there’s plenty of sound coming from that big V10 thanks to stainless steel exhaust manifolds and a Borla dual in-out muffler mated to a stainless steel dual exhaust.
Of course, there’s much more to this 1979 Jeep Cherokee S than just its mechanicals – rather, Vigilante 4×4 spent countless hours ensuring that it’s perfect in every way, starting on the outside, which features all original body panels covered in a two-tone Frosted Glass Blue and Starus White paint job, plus a tribal stripe, which are complemented by vintage-style Vigilante wheels and plenty of chrome trim. The interior matches that ’70s aesthetic with original Levi denim fabric coupled with Moore & Giles leather, plus rebuilt seats, a new HVAC system, a Bluetooth radio, and original-style controls, to boot.
As far as pricing goes, well, Vigilante’s Jeep Cherokee S builds start out at a rather eye-opening $295,000, which is obviously a lot of coin. However, if you want perhaps the ultimate iteration of this vintage SUV, you’d be hard-pressed to find one better, we’d say.
Photos: Vigilante 4×4
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