As part of our blog series highlighting all of our various models over the years (in honor of our 70th Anniversary), we’re going to have a look at the Jeep® Gladiator pickup truck.

One of the longest-lasting pickup trucks that we’ve ever made, the Gladiator debuted in 1963 and was in production until 1987 (albeit with a 1972 name change that lost the “Gladiator”, making it simply “J-Series”). The Gladiator was introduced in two configurations: the 120” J-200 and the 126” J-300. Both featured a Dana 20 transfer case and Dana 44s for both front and rear axles, and were offered with either two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive. We also offered them with various box layouts, including the popular Thriftside narrow box and Townside wide box designs. Although it had quite a comfortable ride and interior, this was still a rugged workhorse of a vehicle, and it quickly found a home among blue-collar workers across the country.

Just a few years ago, in 2004, we introduced a Gladiator-inspired concept truck to represent the future of Jeep brand pickup trucks. We don’t know about you guys, but we think a rebirth of the Gladiator pickup would be fantastic fun.