Everyone can recognise the Jeep. From its World War 2 beginnings as the Willys Jeep right through to the present day, the Jeep is synonymous with American culture. If you remember Daisy Duke in the Dukes of Hazzard show, she had a CJ7 too.

Only a handful of countries received right-hand drive versions and precious few found their way to our shores. However, in the late 70s, 150 of them were shipped to the UK to test the market and this is very likely to be one of them.

Powered by the 4.2 straight-six petrol engine that’s coupled to a 3-speed manual gearbox this car is a slice of homegrown American fun.

The owner found himself wondering what to do with his time during the lockdown in 2020 and after perusing available cars on the internet found this Jeep in need of some attention.

Digging into the car’s past it was discovered that the first owner had bought it use around his farm and had put it to good use for several years. There then followed a string of owners whose hands it passed through until finally arriving with the present gentleman.

Our owner spends many months in Malta and that is where he decided to ship it out to while the world was forced to stay indoors during the pandemic. While in Malta the car was treated to a full strip-down, including taking the body off the chassis.

A small amount of welding was done to the chassis and the whole body was renovated with a full paint job. New brakes, brake lines and shocks were all added along with fresh chrome work. Electrical issues were sorted and the whole car was pieced back together to culminate into this fabulous example.

The V5 is available displaying the original date it was registered in the UK. The owner also has a small folio of photographs showing the work in progress. This presently resides in Malta but will be available with the car at point of sale.

The new paintwork has a fabulous deep shine and is set off with some very impressive looking chrome embellishments and a row of spot lamps above the screen.

The wheels are original and in excellent order, although you’d be hard pushed to kerb them with those large tyres. A matching spare is attached to the rear. The bodywork is finished off with some authentic Renegade stickers.

There is also a fabric hood and fittings which will be available with the car.

The interior is quite sparse as you’d expect from such a utilitarian vehicle. The seats are large and comfortable and are free from signs of heavy use. All the instruments are original as is all the switchgear.

 A charming nod to its American roots is the pool ball gear knob that makes you smile.

All the mechanicals are in fine fettle and the engine has benefited from a strip down and re build while in Malta, it idles quietly and smoothly and will now need to be run in. The gear selection although slightly unusual, having only three speeds is easy to master, reverse being where first would normally reside.

A lot of the car’s suspension has been extensively overhauled as has the braking system. The underside has been fully resealed after some minimal welding. A real boon is the addition of powered steering that was installed during the rebuild.

This has made the Jeep a real joy to drive, particularly on those large tyres. A huge amount of genuine US spares have been sourced to complete this build and a substantial amount is remaining too that can be added in at the right sales price.

If you are looking for that ‘something different’ kind of car then look no further than this Jeep Renegade. You’ve got open-top fun and at the same time safe in the knowledge that you own something quite rare. 

Of course, it was bred to be seen amongst the dunes of Baja but it will be equally at home amongst the hustle and bustle of a UK city, especially with the freshly fitted powered steering. 

This is no shrinking violet by any means but if you are the sort of person who enjoys being noticed, and fancy yourself as the next Daisy or Bo Duke then get your bids in because cars like this don’t come around that often.