A Jeep pickup doesn't happen very often, indeed

Naturally, the reveal of Jeep's 2020 Gladiator midsize pickup at the Los Angeles Auto Show brought back memories of the last Jeep pickup, which debuted more than three decades ago.

For the 1986 model year, American Motors executives decided that a pickup version of the XJ Cherokee would be a profit-maker, and so the XJ-based Comanche was born. A magazine advertisement for the first-year Comanche opened with words that remain true: "It doesn't happen very often. A new Jeep pickup."

The Comanche never came close to the Cherokee's sales success, and examples are tough to find today. After the 1992 model year, Chrysler, which acquired AMC in 1987, dropped the Comanche and concentrated on selling Dodge Dakotas.

But the pickup — and that glossy advertisement — are worth another look.