2019 Easter Jeep Safari, USA - Jeep FLATBILL
Words: Mike Ryan
Photos: FCA Media
Looking like a production-ready machine, the Flatbill was inspired by motocross – the pair of KTM dirt bikes in the back made that obvious! - and was described by Jeep as being created with the desert lifestyle in mind.
Powered by the standard Gladiator 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol engine, the Flatbill added a Mopar cold-air intake to this powerplant and also featured a ventilated carbon fibre bonnet, high-clearance wheelarch flares, shortened front bumper with accessory lights and a compact front skidplate.
At the rear, the tailgate was deleted for the bikes, with their removal made easier by bespoke sliding wheel ramps.
A compact, tube-style rear bumper almost sits under the tray, but included prominent tow hooks for recovery.
Dynatrac Pro-Rock 60 front and rear axles, plus an Off-Road Evolution custom 4-inch lift kit have been fitted, along with large rear bypass shocks.
The 20-inch wheels were finished in a bronze colour that changes with the light, while the tyres are 40-inch units: the first time rubber of this size has been fitted to any Gladiator, according to Jeep. Inside, bedlining has been added to the floors (something of a tradition with these concepts) and the seats retrimmed in a pattern akin to camouflage.
Picking up on the wheels, bronze-look trim also adorns the centre console, instruments, steering wheel and doors, while the bold fluoro yellow, white and black graphics from the exterior are carried over to the dash. In a neat touch, the KTMs were colour-matched to the exterior colours and graphics, too.
In case you were wondering, the ‘41’ race number is a nod to the original Jeep’s birth year of 1941