The first platform for the Jeep Wagoneer, going all the way back to 1963, was the SJ, and it lasted in one form or another through the 1991 model year before it was discontinued. It is incredibly rare for one vehicle to be made on the same platform for that amount of time, and when it came to an end, it was the longest running vehicle made on a single platform.
What separates the various eras of the SJ Wagoneer model was exactly who was making them and what engines were being utilized. The original parent company of Jeep back then was Kaiser, and the standard issue engine for the Wagoneer was the 3.8L Tornado I6 that produced 140 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque. After several years, Jeep also utilized a Buick Dauntless 350 V8 engine as an option that produced 230 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque.
These were fine options, but the crown jewel of the Kaiser years was the Super Wagoneer. This was Jeep’s luxury edition of the 4×4 that featured a high-performance iteration of AMC’s 327 V8, the lesser of which came as an option for the base models. Not only could this reach 270 hp, but it came with features we now take for granted, like air conditioning and power steering. Super Wagoneers were only produced through the 1969 model year, but if you were to get your hands on any from this early Kaiser era, this is the way to go.
[Featured image by Sicnag via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]
