The original Jeep Wagoneer of 1963-91 helped to launch the SUV movement, and the Wagoneer story starts here: With the 1959 Malibu prototype.
Introduced in 1946, the original Willys Jeep station wagon, along with its utility, pickup, and panel delivery variants, served the company well. But by the late 1950s, the Toledo automaker was badly in need of a replacement for the trusty but dated platform. The engineers’ wish list for the new product family, designated J-100, included improved ride and handling, more comfortable and car-like passenger accommodations, and an up-to-date exterior design. One early step in the process was the 1959 Malibu prototype.
The Malibu, shown above next to a then-current Willys Utility wagon, was one of two running prototypes constructed by Willys at the time. (The Malibu’s sibling, code-named Berkeley, featured a different roofline.) To save time and money, the mules were built with fiberglass bodies on modified Willys production chassis. The exterior styling on the project was a collaboration between the small, in-house Willys design staff, led by Jim Angers, and Brooks Stevens, the famed industrial designer who lent his talents to many Willys products, including the Jeepster and the original ’46 Jeep wagon.
The Malibu accurately foreshadows the basic Wagoneer package that would appear a few years later, but with a softer, rounder look. A more generous 110-inch wheelbase, stretched six inches from the original Willys wagon, provided room for four doors, a much-needed feature that the original wagon couldn’t readily accommodate. (A handful of four-door Willys wagons were custom-built for railroads and other fleet customers.) A big, open greenhouse with thin roof pillars contributed to the more car-like overall appearance.
The J-100 project soon adopted a more square-jawed, muscular look, as illustrated in this August 1961 proposal from Brooks Stevens Associates, above. Note how Stevens melded the flat front fender lines of the original World War II Jeep and a vertical, truck-like grille into the design. From here, it’s a rather small step to the production Jeep Wagoneer, launched in November of 1962 as a 1963 model.
As the new wagon (below) came to market, the company gave itself a makeover as well, changing its name from Willys Motors Inc. to the Kaiser Jeep Corporation. The Wagoneer became one of the longest-lived vehicles on the market, lasting though three corporate owners: Kaiser, American Motors, and Chrysler. The same basic package, continually updated and upgraded, remained in production through 1991—“the oldest doors in the industry,” as insiders put it—and it retains an enthusiastic cult following to this day.
