Jeep Gladiator Honcho
During the 1970s, most truck manufacturers experienced trouble selling their products. The recession and trucks’ lousy fuel economy repelled buyers from big and thirsty trucks equipped with V8 engines. During the era, some small compact trucks managed to achieve good sales results due to their cheap prices, smaller engines, and youthful image. To capture the latter, many US manufacturers introduced wild versions with bright colors and crazy wheels. Among all those trucks, the Jeep Gladiator Honcho was the coolest (via Weekly Driver).
This special model was a regular Gladiator truck. But on it, Jeep added some crazy graphics on the side and the “Honcho” name, as well as numerous interior details, special wheels, off-road tires, and a winch. Under the hood, two engines were available. The Honcho came with an optional 401 AMC V8, making it a seriously powerful machine for the day. Jeep implemented an aggressive advertising campaign, but despite all the efforts, they only made 1500 Honchos in seven years of production. Since then, the Gladiator Honcho has become a sought-after collector’s truck and prices are on the rise. If you decide on an unrestored one, but restoring one could be a hard, expensive job because there are so many unique trim pieces and details.