Chelsea Truck Company Sydney is now open for business in Australia with a showroom in Brookvale that garages its first complete project, the Black Hawk Jeep. The British automotive designer is also the force behind Kahn Design and Project Kahn. Kahn’s car legacy began when he designed an alloy wheel in 1996. He then expanded into other custom-designed accessories and by 2002 he was doing total vehicle upgrades.

CTC turns Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen vehicles into customised creations that combine glamorous finishes with bold body work – but you’d want to be okay with attracting attention if you were to buy one. These things turn heads everywhere they go. 


Based on the 2016 Jeep Wrangler Sport, the Black Hawk is just as capable as the standard offering, however the body panels and interior finishes are a little too pretty to want to put it through the wringer off the blacktop. The paint is a special, custom design that is scratch resistant with a Chromax finish so that’s not the issue. It retains its original 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine, teamed with a five-speed automatic transmission.

But essentially, the conversion doesn’t include an engine tweak, a lift-kit or heavy-duty suspension upgrade, though the 20-inch wheels with Cooper tyres are certainly a lot bigger than the standard offering. The work is all superficial and therefore the vehicle isn’t any more powerful or capable than its donor car.


In order to meet Australian regulations, the vehicle can’t be made any less safe than it already is which means that steering wheels with airbags can’t be swapped out, neither can seats with built-in side airbags. Custom parts that include airbags may be produced in the future, but for now, the Wrangler’s seats can only be upgraded by being covered in beautiful, colourful leather with contrast stitching.

The same leather – in this case Burgundy – is also used to wrap the roll-bars and the colour is used on a few of the cabin trims on the dash and armrest. Among the other interior changes, there are drilled metal pedals, and the infotainment system has been upgraded and now includes satellite navigation.


The interior colour combinations are almost endless, as are the exterior paint colour options. Aside from the impressive finish to the paintwork, the body kit includes new bumpers, grille, chunky flares and a beautifully moulded bonnet.

It’s designed to create a shorter, wider profile and pay homage to Jeep’s military roots. If that wasn’t enough to set it apart from the crowd, the original headlights have been ripped out and replaced with shadow chrome headlamps and retro Tron ring lights.


Being the first project completed in Sydney, this Black Hawk took more than two months, but a normal build should take just a few weeks as the process becomes second nature for the new team here in Australia, headed up by director Evan Wilson.

It takes a lot of time and attention to detail to ensure all of the pieces fit together perfectly. You’ll pay for perfection though; the two-door Black Hawk is AUD 150,000 while the Limited four-door is AUD 155,000. That price includes the new model Jeep Wrangler, but even if you were to bring your own vehicle you could still expect to pay around AUD 100,000.