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We saw it in spy shots for the first time a couple of months ago, and of course we're excited about the Brute-like JT Concept we'll be seeing at SEMA, but now it's official — Jeep's making another run at military vehicle sales with their newest offering for the defense systems crowd — the Jeep J8. Built off the new 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the Jeep J8 gets some frame reinforcements to allow for greater payloads (up to a max of 2,952 lb.) and newly engineered axles, brakes and a leaf-spring rear suspension system for "more demanding military and civilian government use." Because although the J8's stronger than the Wrangler Unlimited it's built on, it's not designed for front-line combat operations. Instead, the fully-armor capable Jeep J8's designed for duties ranging from...










...command vehicle to troop/cargo carrier, ambulance, communications vehicle and other duties not requiring being shot at. The J8's powered by a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 158 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque mated to a five-speed auto tranny — giving it a towing capability of up to 7,716 lb. In addition to being an Army man, this new offering from Jeep's a Marine, complete with a hood-mounted snorkel enabling the J8 to wade in water of up to 30 inches deep. The J8 comes in two flavors — a four-door multipurpose vehicle with all the same seating configurations of the original Wrangler Unlimited, or, for the military man who's a fan of the Brute pickup package for the Jeep, it also comes in a — wait for it — a two-door version with an extended pickup bed. That's right — a pickup bed underneath that dark plastic top — just like the JT concept car and the Brute conversion. We'll take two please, one in camo and the other in matte black. Full press below.