Ilse Campeau’s Grand Wagoneer
In the consignor’s collection since 2003
Extensively overhauled by its current owner
Big, luxurious and wonderfully eccentric
When a Jeep Grand Wagoneer sat in a showroom in 1987, its basic design was already almost a quarter of a century old. Kaiser Jeep had introduced the Wagoneer in 1962, then a remarkably modern off-roader with ambitions of comfort. While new generations came and went around it, the big Jeep simply carried on. And became ever more luxurious in the process.
From 1984, the flagship version was officially known as the Grand Wagoneer. By then, woodgrain panelling on the outside was practically obligatory, while inside, leather, air conditioning, electric windows and acres of carpeting made things almost homely in that very American way. This was no longer a utility vehicle. More a living room with four-wheel drive.
Under the bonnet of the 1987 model sat AMC’s trusty 5.9-litre V8. Around 145 bhp sounds almost like a refusal to work given the capacity, but there was plenty of torque. An automatic transmission took care of the gears, while power reached the wheels through the Selec-Trac four-wheel-drive system. Sporting ambitions would have been rather beside the point anyway. The Grand Wagoneer was meant to tow, climb and insulate its occupants from the outside world as much as possible. It was precisely this combination that made it a forerunner of today’s luxury SUVs. Only nobody used the term back then.
In 1987, Chrysler took over American Motors Corporation and, with it, Jeep. The Grand Wagoneer was allowed to carry on regardless. Its engineering was old, its thirst considerable and its aerodynamics largely theoretical. Yet few things embodied American luxury on four driven wheels with quite so much charm.
This Grand Wagoneer came from Canada to Austria with its owner in 1990. She was none other than Ilse Campeau, wife of the billionaire owner of Bloomingdale’s, with whom she resided in a castle on Lake Attersee. In 1996, Ilse Campeau sold her Grand Wagoneer to a lady in Salzburg, who passed it on again after just one month. Following another female owner, the Jeep came to the consignor in 2003 and has remained registered in his name ever since.
In 2005, he had his Wagoneer thoroughly overhauled and repainted. Handwritten notes bear witness to both the extent and the considerable expense of the work. Since then, the luxurious off-roader has been driven regularly. That after almost forty years the sky should start falling on the driver’s head is nothing unusual in a Wagoneer and can surely be forgiven. The material for a new headlining has already been sourced; fitting it will be a job for the next owner. The Jeep also comes with its original set of wheels.
The result is a Grand Wagoneer with character, history and exactly that touch of extravagance that makes it so appealing today.