Jeep revealed the penultimate model in its Twelve 4 Twelve lineup, throwing it all the way back to the civilian-spec Willys that started it all.
In case you missed it, Jeep is celebrating their 85th anniversary with a collection of special edition Wranglers. The party kicked off last year with the reborn, Hemi-powered Wrangler and includes Canadian-only gems like the Rocky Mountain Edition. This time, approaching the end of its Twelve 4 Twelve run, Jeep is putting a modern spin on the 1945 CJ-2A, the first civvie-spec Willys.
The 2027 Wrangler JL-2A is based on the two-door Wrangler and hearkens back to its ancestors not just with its name, but also with a new colour called Gobi, a seemingly faithful recreation of Harvest Tan from the original Willys, but with a lot more shine. It's accented by a body-colour hardtop and matching fender flares, orange-painted wheels with BFGoodrich KO2s, orange tow hooks, and dark grey grille inserts.
If Gobi isn't your thing, Jeep will also offer the JL-2A in Bright White, Joose, Sting Gray, and Ghost. Either colour is matched to a two-tone Nappa Heritage Tan and Bison Brown interior, yet another callback to the CJ-2A. Orange stitching adds a subtle pop of colour, while various Easter eggs — like the silhouette of the original Willys stamped on the air vents — abound.
Bells-and-whistles include standard remote start, an auto-dim rear-view mirror, and a front-facing camera with an integrated washer for all those tight trails you'll surely cut through. Under the hood, the JL-2A shares its four- and six-cylinder powertrain options with the rest of the Wrangler lineup; no Hemi here.
Based on the Rubicon trim, the Wrangler JL-2A package adds $6,995 to the bottom line. Worth it?