HEMI-Powered Jeep Grand Wagoneer Rocks 807 HP, It Could've Been in a Scrapyard by Now

The 1988 custom-built Grand Wagoneer has been converted into the ultimate sleeper without altering its authenticity. Vigilante breathed new life into the model, turning a versatile workhorse into a premium SUV. The wood-paneled model wears fiery crimson with pride to scare off crossovers on the highway and brag about its capabilities once it leaves the pavement behind.

Specializing in restoring classic Jeeps, Vigilante claims the vehicle can achieve an astonishing level of speed and control and blames modern upgrades for it. Jeep rolled out the Grand Wagoneer in 1963 and kept it coming until the early 1990s, turning it into one of the longest-lasting nameplates in the car industry.

However, the latest iteration has turned into a collectible vehicle and one of the reasons is the so-called "sunset stretch," focusing on high-end features and modern tech. In 1988, the car came with power seats, for instance.

Father of the SUVs of today, the Grand Wagoneer has always been labeled as versatile and reliable. Now, Vigilante's take on the model is a tribute to what the Jeep has always stood for. Remaining virtually unchanged until the end of production, the model rocks its boxy shape today as if it's something futuristic. It's all in the attitude.

The custom build gravitates around a newly developed modern chassis, exclusively designed by Vigilante, to which the body panels fit like a glove. The Vigilante experts were the ones who also transplanted a new engine under the hood. The restomod is now powered by a 6.2-liter HEMI Hellcat Redeye, the kind that they don't make anymore.

The old-school Jeep Grand Wagoneer has 807 horsepower throbbing under the hood

The engine pumps out 807 horsepower, and 717 pound-feet of torque. That is almost five times more than the original 144-horsepower engine. The HEMI is mated to a high-performance four-speed Bowler 4L80E automatic transmission, which helps it outrun most of the vehicles currently on the road.

It may not look like it's got supercar performance. But that is just a mask it puts on before it unleashes all the 807 horsepower, going to all four wheels via the Atlas-II reinforced transfer case and Dana 44/Dana 60 Currie Enterprise axles.

The model rides on a four-link Eibach coil suspension with Fox Racing shocks, while six-piston brakes with Hydroboost power assistance provide the stopping power on machined 17-inch stock-looking wheels.

With the HEMI-powered Hellcat Redeye Grand Wagoneer, Vigilante made a bold move, departing from the original low-to-the ground stance of the original model.

The restoration started with the bare metal

The restoration started with Vigilante stripping the vehicle down to bare metal before beginning the sheet metal repairs, avoiding the use of fillers. Now, the truck rocks a red hot two-tone paint livery with rich wood grain shades that resemble the original.

The vehicle features tempered glass and extensive noise-canceling Dynamite soundproofing. Modern climate control, interface with the original-style ones, showed up on board for both the front and the rear seats.

The cabin sports Moore & Giles leather with New Old Stock corduroy inserts. All seats now sport new springs, foam, and padding. Vigilante managed to replicate the long shag carpeting using rare sheepskin hides, blending and tanning them to create an extravagant ambiance on board.

Newly designed stock-looking gauges were installed behind the steering wheel in an attempt to retain the classic appearance.

Everything inside the cabin is conceived and built with both comfort and luxury in mind to provide a saloon-like sensation to those sitting in there. In order to facilitate ingress and egress, Vigilante integrated special power steps.

A completely reimagined street rod, the now-revived 1988 Hellcat Redeye Grand Wagoneer commission is available for $385,000. Right now, the most powerful stock Jeep on the market is the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

And the award for the most powerful Jeep on the market goes to... 

Powered by the same 6.2-liter HEMI V8, it benefits from the presence of 707 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque for a run from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, a quarter mile covered in 11.6 seconds, and a top speed of 180 mph.

But the Hellcat Redeye 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer is not the most powerful Jeep that has ever driven out of the Vigilante shop. Last year, the firm introduced the Jeep Grand Wagoneer with 825 horsepower and in 2022, it unveiled the almost-1,000-horsepower Grand Wagoneer with a Hellephant engine. Those were, indeed, the two most powerful Jeep-branded beasts out there.

Last year, we reported about Vigilante's Grand Cherokee, doing a 392-cubic-inch V8 with 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque, wearing a gorgeous light blue shade.