Forget The Gladiator And Buy This 1978 Jeep J10 Instead

Jeep abandoned the truck segment in 1992, but they recently returned with the Gladiator.

While we were impressed with the truck when we drove it two years ago, the Gladiator doesn’t quite have the charm of classic Jeep pickups. If you have a hankering for that, you should check out this 1978 J10 which will be auctioned by Mecum next month.

The listing is light on specifics, but the truck is equipped with the Golden Eagle package which included a chrome front bumper, a rear step bumper, body strips and a massive hood decal. Other special touches included bright window trim, a black grille guard, a roll bar with auxiliary lights, and 15-inch wheels with golden accents.

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Inside, the package saw the installation of beige Levi’s bucket seats, special carpeting and a sport steering wheel. Other niceties included an engine-turned instrument cluster, “bright armrest overlays,” hood insulation and a power steering system.

As you can probably tell from that description, this particular truck isn’t original as it’s missing the grille guard and the front bumper has been painted black. The model also boasts a bench seat and comes with a CD player featuring Bluetooth connectivity.

Despite the modern touches, the truck looks pretty good and is powered by a 5.9-liter V8 engine. It presumably produces either 175 hp (130 kW / 177 PS) and 245 lb-ft (332 Nm) of torque or 195 hp (145 kW / 198 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. Regardless of its output, the engine is connected to a three-speed automatic transmission and a four-wheel drive system.

The truck is being sold without reserve and has an estimated value of between $30,000 – $40,000 (£21,727 – £28,975 / €24,960 – €33,280).