A gallery of Jeeps gone wild

DETROIT — One of the best things about the Jeep brand throughout its history is the blank canvas it provides for enthusiasts to personalize their vehicles. The same holds true for engineers and designers working on Jeeps.

Designers at Fiat Chrysler and its corporate predecessors have built a series of specialized Jeep concept vehicles to take to the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, starting in 2002. In addition, over its history, Jeep has shown a number of high concepts at auto shows to measure consumer acceptance of upcoming design ideas.

The concept vehicles often have been wild interpretations of Jeep’s past, harkening back to the brand’s both civilian and military roots.

Here are eight of the top concept vehicles that Jeep has shown through the years.

The first hint of what adding two doors to the Wrangler would do for the popularity of one of Jeep's most historic designs.

A V-8-powered four-seat, four-wheel-drive sports car with an open top and a raked appearance for better aerodynamics. Ironically, its 18-year-old styling may see new life in the next-generation Wrangler.

The Wrangler-styled pickup was built on a Ram 1500 frame, but it made Jeep fans drool for the return of a real Jeep body-on-frame pickup.

Two Hemi engines, two transmissions, a superlight, carbon-fiber body and four-wheel steering.

An homage to Jeep's military pickups, the Nukizer climbed obstacles in Moab like a mountain goat.

A Wrangler-based throwback pickup with exterior styling straight out of the J-series pickup playbook. It had a bench seat with a plaid interior to complete the retro look.

One of the most expensive concepts Jeep ever built for Moab, the Mighty FC was a throwback to the Forward Control Jeeps of the late 1950s. Built on a stretched Wrangler frame, it boasted $50,000 worth of Mopar portal axles for superior ground clearance.

A big, Wrangler-based surf machine with a teak interior and no side windows, with decorations right out of the 1970s.