Before the Jeep Wrangler, There Was a GMC Wrangler
Car enthusiasts and the general public alike associate the name Wrangler with Jeep, but Jeep was not the only automaker to use the name. In fact, Jeep itself had only used the Wrangler name since 1986, after AMC decided to reposition the evolution of the CJ-7 model to reflect a more comfortable, everyday Jeep model, announcing the Wrangler name for its familiar 4x4 model at the Chicago Auto Show the same year. The move proved to be a marketing success at a tumultuous time for AMC, just ahead of the breakup of the Renault and AMC alliance and Chrysler's purchase of the Jeep marque.
But before the Wrangler name became synonymous with Jeep in the automotive world, GMC and Chevrolet offered trucks badged as the Wrangler.
Haven't seen these around? That's quite understandable. Unless you've lived in Canada from the 1970s through the 1990s, spotting one of these on the road is a tall order.
Just what were the GMC and Chevrolet Wranglers about?
In some ways they were similar in concept to the Chevrolet Bonanza, Scottsdale and other variants of the C/K trucks offered in the U.S., which threw together a number of options and then offered them at a discount. But the Wrangler models were a little more distinctive than that and even featured their own graphics, combining a more unique set of options.
For example, for the 1985 model year the Wrangler package A offered rally wheels, wheel arch moldings, cloth or vinyl bench seating, and also several items pulled from the Sierra equipment list including color-keyed rubber floor mats, door trim, sound insulation, and a brushed aluminum instrument cluster surround. All of these items were offered at a $255 discount — in Canadian dollars of course.
Wrangler package B was distinguished by a two-tone paint scheme instead of a three-stripe patterns, but with the same Wrangler graphic on the bed, and offered all the items from the Wrangler A pack but also added a deluxe front fascia design, a chrome rear bumper, dual horns, and a cigarette lighter, all pulled from the High Sierra equipment line.
There were two more Wrangler option groups in addition to these two, but what really made the model distinct were the snazzy graphics.
"The Wrangler full-size pickup is in a class by itself. It is available in 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton models, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, either in bold, two-tone color combinations, or in a distinctive Wrangler striping decor," ad copy of the time promised. "Both include specific popular extra equipment items, and the outstanding savings that are offered by these very special decor and equipment packages are designed to make Wrangler your brand of truck."
What's more, GMC Wranglers were offered in gas, diesel, and even propane form in Canada.
The Wrangler name was used by GM Canada all the way until 1987, even though the third generation of the C/K trucks ran all the way until 1991. Incidentally, 1987 was the first model year of the Jeep Wrangler, designated as the YJ generation.
Of course, we don't expect GM to ever go back to the Wrangler naming — it's really Jeep's calling card now — but this is just a tiny window into GM's different branding experiments for its Canadian models. And this is by no means the most curious or strange one, as GM did much stranger things with its Pontiac, Asuna and Passport brands in the country. But we can't help but geek out over these snazzy graphics.
The Wrangler trucks themselves are not particularly rare in Canada per se, to the extent that GM trucks from that time period are rare on the roads, so you do have a chance of spotting one on the street today. Just not in the U.S. perhaps.
(H/T: Alden Jewell)
