We all know people who take vehicle maintenance as a serious commitment, treating a car, pickup truck, or SUV like a member of the family. The designers at Stellantis found such a person, who shall remain nameless, while searching the interweb for a classic Jeep Cherokee still in running order. Specifically, they wanted an XJ-generation Jeep that launched in 1984, and they struck paydirt in Nevada, much like gold miners there in the 1800s. Only this gold was on the sheet metal.Tom Murphy/CarBuzz/Valnet "We hit the ground running. We hit Facebook, hit Craigslist, looking for a clean XJ to start with," Chris Piscitelli, Jeep senior design manager, tells journalists gathered recently for a sneak peek of concepts heading to the 2026 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. When Jeep sets out to do a restomod, the donor vehicle gets torn apart while designers envision something new and perhaps off the wall.Jeep "Sometimes we do a full restoration, and all that's left is a door skin," Piscitelli says. But this project was different. "Because when this thing showed up, it turned out to be kind of the nicest XJ we've ever seen, down to the fact that it's got a notebook in the glove box with every oil change noted from zero to 80,000 miles, which is when we got it from the original owner." Even the paint was original."And we're like, 'oh, maybe we shouldn't cut this one up.'"-Chris Piscitelli, Jeep senior design manager Raising Wheel Wells For 33-Inch Rubber JeepWhile respecting "the time capsule," the team targeted ways to make the original XJ more capable, starting with the wheel wells, which were filled with "some pretty tiny tires" from the factory."You'll notice that most XJs, when people put on anything bigger than the 31[inch tires], you're going up with it, which makes them kind of high and wild. We want to keep this thing low," Piscitelli says, explaining that a two-inch suspension lift was still incorporated for better crawling. The ultimate solution was to raise the wheel wells, allowing room for 33-inch BF Goodrich tires."We custom designed the wheel wells [from carbon fiber] to be reminiscent of the original wheel wells – sorry, wheel flares – that came on it, and painted them in a matching color to the original body," he says. They also added a rock rail to the old XJ. "No one likes a smashed rocker, right?"Tom Murphy/CarBuzz/Valnet Underhood is the original 115-horsepower 2.8-liter V6 that was sourced from General Motors because, at the time, Jeep owner American Motors Corp. lacked funds to develop its own compact V6. A year after this particular Cherokee rolled off the Toledo assembly line, Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand. Piscitelli chuckles while trying to come up with something nice to say about an engine that seems so inadequate by today's standards, but he concedes that it can "get out of its own way" and does quite well off-road. The 17-inch alloys are near direct replacements of the original wheels, and this XJ also got a quick-disconnect sway bar.When looking inside this 40-year-old Jeep, the design team found both the carpet and gas pedal in good condition, which says a lot about how the owner maintained it."It led a pretty posh life," Piscitelli says. "On the interior side of things, we've left it almost entirely alone. It even smells like a 1986 Jeep, and I've even left the creakiness in the door."Why not put on a fresh coat of paint? "Partly because it was so nice, but also partly because it's the right color," Piscitellii says. "Everyone thinks that the '80s was a time of teal and purple, and, you know, the inside of your favorite fast-food restaurant. In reality, the early '80s was 50 shades of almonds, gold, and brown, right?" 'Experimental Jeep' Proved Worthy Jeep As the new owner of this restored Cherokee, Jeep is calling it the XJ Pioneer, and it will remain part of Jeep's collection. "All these Jeeps that we build, they see continued use. We'll take them to different shows, but then our team actually uses them for events," Piscitelli says.The primary goal was to recognize the paradigm shift that the old Cherokee XJ (short for "Experimental Jeep") brought about back in the day."In a world of body-on-framed big trucks, this thing came out... and they weren't even sure if it was going to work. It was smaller, it was shorter, less overhangs, but in some cases, had more interior volume than the outgoing vehicles. And it was a crazy off-road performer, right from the get out," he says. "We really wanted to just have this car be an experience in kind of stepping back in time, but with a little bit more capability."This old Jeep definitely won't be sitting still for long. And it won't be relegated to light-duty show status. It will tackle its first mission since being restored during the 2026 Easter Jeep Safari, crawling its way over the rock at Moab.