Over the past year, I’ve traveled the country to try out some of the most exclusive restomods American mechanics have ever had leave their garages. From large operations with facilities of 100,000 square feet or more to tiny ones working out of a one-bay garage, no shop is too big or too small for me to squeeze into. On the other hand, no shop I’ve come across has a V10-swap Jeep Cherokee Viper just sitting in the shop.
This is a luxury that, to my knowledge, only the team at Vigilante 4×4 has access to. Just outside the sprawling tech city of Austin in Johnson City, Texas, a Belgian transplant named Daniel van Doveren and his Texan wife Rachel take Jeeps from all eras and revitalize them with the best of modern Mopar drivetrains. Along with its sister company, Jeep Heritage, which specializes in more clean, precise, parts-matching restorations, this team knows more about handling a classic Jeep than some of the AMC employees of yore.
On the other hand, the old American Motors Corp. hasn’t benefited from modern 3D scanning and computer-aided design (CAD) technology like Vigilante 4×4 can. With the power of the microchip at its disposal and a team of technicians and craftsmen, Vigilante can make old Jeeps capable of things they never could in their day. 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 makeup and even improve it beyond what it was built for.
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? Hell, want to upgrade to a 392 or even a supercharged Hellcat engine? For the Vigilante team, that sort of thing is second nature, practically routine these days. But even in a sea of classic CJs, Cherokees, Wagoneers, and J-10 trucks with HEMI V8s, this V10-swapped 1979 Cherokee is the king of kings. Without a doubt, it’s the craziest restomod ever to come out of the Austin metro area.
At first glance, there aren’t many indications that just that kind of ferocious beast lurks under the hood of this restomod. Just a tasteful two-tone light blue over white paint job and a tasty set of BFGoodrich tires. A pristine new paint job, sure, but nothing to give away what’s really going on behind the scenes. This idea is reinforced when you tug on that delightfully tactile reproduction door handle, which opens to reveal a matching light blue interior with seats upholstered in a soft, denim-like material.
Photo: Benny Kirk/autoevolution
A vintage steering wheel and custom-designed diamond-cut instrument cluster help complete that classic look, as does the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) air intakes, 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 exactly like the 1970s 4×4 that inspired it. It’s only when you turn the key and unleash the ferocity of ten unleashed cylinders that the true nature of the definitive version of the Vigilante 4×4 makes itself known. That Viper engine we mentioned? It’s been blown to a scarcely believable 9,000cc, or nine litres (550ci).
With 825 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque on tap, this is certainly not the type of vehicle you learn to drive. Fortunately, the Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual transmission is up to the task of handling all that power, assuming the person behind the wheel is competent with a left foot. With an Atlas Advanced Adapters two-speed transfer case out back and a Dana 44 front axle with a Dana 60 in the rear, this transmission and all of its surrounding components are configured to be as beefed up as possible for a Vigilante 4×4 under a classic Cherokee body.
Thanks to Fox Racing shocks and a four-wheel coilover suspension setup with a triangulated four-link rear end, a Vigilante Motors Cherokee handles trails and pavement with a grace and ease that AMC engineers only wish it had. Fourteen-inch Baer drilled, slotted, and grooved brake rotors ensure that this Jeep stops like no OEM classic Jeep ever could. As Daniel took me for a spin on the roads around his main shop, I had the distinct feeling that this Jeep was so far removed from its heritage that it might as well have been a different species entirely.
The almost cartoonish enthusiasm with which this Cherokee leaps off the line created 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 than to squeal its tires as it drove. Only a quick, snappy application of the throttle prevented a complete spin on more than one occasion. Better yet, there were no suspicious clunking or thumping noises during this drive, as you might expect from the experience of driving a 45-year-old car, no matter how much it’s been modified.
Photo: Benny Kirk/autoevolution
With a functional Vintage Air Magnum V climate control unit interfaced with those 3D-printed HVAC vents, an indisputable inconvenience of constant sweating that often characterizes driving old 4x4s is effectively rendered null and void. In a way that must seem like witchcraft only to those familiar with the sensations of driving a classic Cherokee, this restomod Vigilante accelerates, corners, stops, and drives so much like a modern vehicle that it almost doesn’t feel 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 affordable in the world.
Considering that the 2017 Viper, which was the last production car to feature this engine, got a grand total of 14 MPG, that's a full liter more displacement, plus a full-size Off-road on top of all that must make this Cherokee's fuel economy truly abysmal. But you should know that the future owner of this Jeep was wealthy enough to get the base vehicle, pay for a complete restoration with all the fixings, put a Viper transmission under the hood, and ship the whole thing to Hawaii to use as a daily driver. So it's safe to assume that fuel economy wasn't an issue 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 go a long way in determining the specifics. But a quick look at Vigilante 4×4’s website reveals that a similar Texas-sourced 1988 Jeep Wagoneer with a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 under the hood is currently listed for a low $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 rocket into the stratosphere. In fact, Vigilante 4×4 and its sister company, Jeep Heritage, offer four levels of restoration ranging from $165,000 on the low end to $295,000 for the top-end restomod package.
But even among the regular fare, this Viper swap is nothing less than a halo vehicle for a Vigilante 4×4. The kind of build that shows off the best and biggest that a restomod shop can get, amped up to its loudest and most eye-catching state. Compared to the OEM Lamborghini Urus and Ferrari Purosangue that you can buy for about the same amount, a restomod Vigilante Jeep is special in a way that a modern car simply can’t without decades of nostalgia behind it.
Photo: Benny Kirk/autoevolution
It's a completely unique look and feel for this Jeep and other similar off-roaders from perhaps the most beloved period in 4×4 history. For that, and for the kind offer to come visit Daniel and Rachel's shop, we have the Vigilante 4×4 team to thank.