Liberty

Think this vehicle is too freaky to ever see the light of day? Then take a moment to reflect on the 2002 Jeep Liberty, which purloined styling cues and technical doo-dads from Jeep’s recent Dakar and Jeepster vehicles. Remember those? Like this ******, they were concepts, and, at the time of their unveiling, were mocked and fingered as something from bizarro land by some, just like this ******. Could that mean the ****** is on the way?

Here’s all we can prove right now: Jeep skipped the sheetmetal and opted for carbon fiber. Having an injection-molded plastic body knocked about 50 percent off the weight and manufacturing cost, and by using "frame-web technology," the designers could mold the fiber to an aluminum frame. What you’re looking at is an almost totally recycleable Jeep with a curb weight of 2,900 pounds.

The ****** has a 95-inch wheelbase, and hangers-on include a custom independent short- and long-arm front suspension, and a rear setup with a multilink solid axle and coil-over shocks. At each corner are 22-inch wheels and P235/840R560 PAX rubber (in other words, big-**** tires). Under the hood is a `charged 1.6L inline four-cylinder engine that's said to kick out 160 ponies and 155 lb-ft of torque. Because the buzzword for this Jeep is "lightweight," it's figured to nail 60 mph in 10.2 seconds. The mill is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission and there's a full-time, shift-on-the-fly transfer case.

So, is the Jeep ****** too heinous to exist? Or are you as giddy as a school girl in June with thoughts of it being added to the Jeep lineup? Let us know what you're thinking--and, more importantly, get the word out to Jeep.

Liberty