At the time of its unveiling, speculation was that it was a foreshadowing of the all-new JK Unlimited. See, rumors are always correct. But it was limited to appearances only. You see, if the Rescue was all brawn and beef, then the JK Unlimited turned out to be a tofurky-lovin' vegetarian. The Rescue was laid to rest on a Dodge Ram 31/44-ton pickup frame and used its drivetrain as well, including heavy-duty components such as the 5.9L turbodiesel, which equated to 325 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque, NV5600 six-speed, NV273 T-case, and solid 31/44-ton axles. It had a 122-plus-inch wheelbase and was 193.2 inches long. You'd be right in thinking it must have weighed close to 6,000 pounds outfitted that way. It may have been misleading mechanically, but at least it wasn't the tease the '97 Dakar turned out to be-we waited only three years this time to get a four-door Wrangler.
The most recent cool concept was the JT. Rather than taking the traditional auto-show route, this one sneaked in under the radar (from the rest of the world) at Moab 2007 for its unveiling by Skunkworks/Mopar Underground. As Tech Editor Hazel reported back in the July issue ("Moab #41"), it was built from a model J8 Egyptian military JK body; in other words, pretty much a JK Unlimited. There was a 3.8L V-6, Dana 44s at both ends stuffed with Tru-Lok electronic lockers, a four-speed trans, and an NV241 4:1 Rock-Trac T-case. The concept here was to demonstrate the JK platform's flexibility. You did, now do.
Concepts can cost millions of dollars to build. Sometimes that doesn't even include functional components.
Concept vehicles are built on the West Coast, and after doing the show circuit, each is stored in a warehouse until there is a request for it again, such as at an exhibition or photo shoot.