1970 Jeep Jeepster Information
 

The Jeepster Commando is an automobile which was first produced by Kaiser Jeep in 1966 to compete with the International Scout, Toyota Land Cruiser and Ford Bronco. Four different models were available: a pickup truck, convertible, roadster and wagon. The Kaiser line remained in production until about 1969, when American Motors Corporation (AMC) bought Kaiser in 1970. After AMC's acquisition, the Jeepster Commando C101 (101" wheelbase) steadily grew in popularity. In 1972, AMC shortened the vehicle's name to Commando C104, extended the wheelbase to 104", and changed the front-end design to accept the AMC I6 and V8 304ci, similar to the Ford Bronco. The new configuration, formerly an AMC best seller, quickly caused the line to drop in popularity and was taken out of production in 1973; it was replaced with the full size Cherokee. The Jeepster is an ancestor of the modern Jeep family produced by Chrysler.



Special Jeepster Version HURST with DIXCO HT/x Hood Tachometer

In 1970 and 1971, HURST produced a special version with an integrated DIXCO HT/x Hood Tachometer. The price was about $5000.


The starting point for the Hurst Jeepster was a custom-trim Jeepster station wagon. Like all “second-generation” Jeepsters, four-wheel drive was standard equipment. Buyers were offered a choice of transmissions-three-speed manual or three-speed Hydra-Matic. Every Hurst Jeepster Special came equipped with Jeep’s optional 160hp, 225-cu.in. two-barrel “Dauntless” V-6 (an engine originally developed by Buick) plus 6-inch-wide steel wheels and Goodyear G70 x 15 custom wide-tread tires with raised white letters (that’s what passed for high-performance rubber back then). Standard equipment also included a roof rack (how that was supposed to be sporty escapes us), full wheel covers, and a sport steering wheel with brushed aluminum spokes. Bucket seats and a rear seat were also standard equipment. According to reports, the seats were available in black, blue or buckskin vinyl. The only body color available was Champagne White, with red and blue stripes applied to the cowl and tailgate. Special Hurst equipment included an 8,000-rpm tach mounted in an ABS housing set on the hood directly in front of the driver’s line of sight, à la Pontiac, plus a Hurst T-handle shifter on manual-transmission cars or a console-mounted Hurst Dual-Gate shifter on the automatics that came straight out of the GTO. There were also Hurst badges on the doors and hood sides. Every Hurst Jeepster was a hardtop station wagon.

As far as performance goes, a Hurst Jeepster really isn’t any different from any other V-6 Jeepster except, of course, the wide wheels and tires make it handle a bit better. Like other six-cylinder Jeepsters, the Hurst Jeepsters equipped with the automatic transmission came with a 3:31 axle ratio, while the stick-shift cars got a 3.73 ratio.

Apparently this was the first time Hurst ever tried to do its thing on a four-wheel-drive machine. Some time later they turned out the special International Scout Shawnee models. Exactly how many Hurst Jeepsters were built is unknown, but company officials mentioned an initial production run of 500, and that figure was mentioned in at least one article that appeared around the time the Hurst Jeepster debuted. Of the projected 500 units, some 300 were to be equipped with the automatic and 200 with the manual gearbox. However, the book The Hurst Heritage estimates that perhaps only 100 were actually built. Either way, these are exceptionally rare vehicles.

Pictures from the '70 HURST Edition