Jeep Mighty FC Concept
At first glance, the Jeep Mighty FC
concept defies any preconceived notions you may have regarding scale and
balance. Alarmingly front-heavy and precipitously perched, it runs roughshod
over generally accepted tenets of vehicle design.
When the original Jeep FC (Forward
Control) sprang forth from the mind of industrial designer Brooks Stevens (the
same guy who designed the classic Miller Brewing logo!) back in the 1950s, its
mission was not off-road prowess but improved space efficiency and versatility.
It placed the occupants above and in front of—rather than behind—the
powertrain.
The new Mighty FC concept performs the
same packaging trick, and so it retains the family visage. As Mark Allen, head
of Jeep Design and the prime instigator behind the Mighty FC, puts it: “As soon
as we unveiled it in Moab [at the annual Easter Jeep Safari], everyone
recognized it, which amazed us. We thought it would have a fan base of about
five people. As it sits here, it’s somewhere between an engineering mule and a
static concept vehicle.”
The FC’s cab was hewn from the two-door
Wrangler, retaining the windshield, A-pillars, and doors; the roof is from Mopar’s JK-8 pickup kit.To enter, the long-limbed
and nimble may find it easiest to simply scale one of the nearly 40-inch-high
tires; the vertically challenged and aged may prefer to climb upon the rock
sliders (repurposed Jeep four-door rock rails, cribbed directly from the Mopar
catalog) and shimmy over the tire.
The interior consists largely of stock
Wrangler items, including the dash, steering wheel, and shifter. The seats are
wrapped in plaid upholstery partially stitched up from a Burton snowboard bag,
the tags and zippers left intact. Given the obvious volumetric peculiarities
of the cab-over configuration, the driving position is surprisingly
comfortable.
A Wrangler Rubicon’s 3.6-liter V-6
engine and automatic transmission both remain virtually stock. The chassis came
from the same Wrangler, albeit lengthened to provide a 117.0-inch wheelbase.
