Performance SUVs are common today, but only the Jerrari existed in the late 1960s.
This unique combination of a 1969 Jeep Wagoneer and a Ferrari 365 GT 2 + 2 was decades ahead of its time. The one-off SUV is now being offered in the Classic Driver Market.
The Jerrari was built for the casino magnate and car collector Bill Harrah. According to the Classic Driver Market, Harrah’s mechanic crashed his 365 GT, giving Harrah the idea of commissioning a four-wheel drive Ferrari with the benefit of a station wagon on top of that.
Harrah brought his idea straight to Enzo Ferrari, who immediately rejected it. So Harrah had his damaged 365 GT combined with a brand new Jeep Wagoneer, and the Jerrari was born.
1969 Jeep Wagoneer
The finished vehicle had the front end of the Ferrari grafted onto the body of the Jeep and used both the Ferrari’s V-12 engine and the Jeep’s 3-speed gearbox and all-wheel drive system. It even got a custom badge that shows Eugene the Jeep (the Popeye comic strip character who supposedly inspired the Jeep name) in place of Ferrari’s Prancing Horse.
The Jerrari was originally white, but was later repainted in its current dark green. Harrah also swapped the Ferrari V-12 for another Wagoneer – called the Jerrari 2 – and put a 5.9-liter Chevrolet engine in the original Jerrari, according to the Classic Driver Market.
The original Jerrari has since been restored and, according to the listing, now shows about 9,000 miles on the odometer.
Much has changed since the Jerrari was built. The vehicle Harrah originally introduced to Enzo Ferrari sounds a lot like the all-wheel drive Ferrari FF, and Ferrari is slated to unveil its first true SUV, likely Purosangue, in 2022.
