1974 Jeep CJ5 5.0 V8

‘Swampy’ was first registered on the 1st of January 1974. Born a mild-mannered, blue-collar American, this left-hand-drive Jeep CJ-5 went full-bore redneck in later years, having its body restored and the original five-litre V8 fully rebuilt and tuned. It also received a set of stilts in lieu of the stock suspension, and a set of 36-inch tyres.

And yet, the US owner clearly thought that even that little lot was a bit too restrained because he then fitted an unsilenced dual exhaust system with side pipes that exit under the door apertures.

Only sold because he was moving to a different state with his work and didn’t have the space to hang onto his three-car collection, it has been in the care of its current UK owner for the past eighteen months.

Exported from the US of A at the end of 2018, it was bought as part of a two-car deal from West Coast Classics and eventually landed here in April 2019, at which time all the appropriate taxes were paid.

Now UK registered, MOT’d and tax-exempt, it has had a lot of money spent on it to fettle it properly; the owner used it at his holiday home on Anglesey and was keen for it to be a fun ‘no-fuss, turn-key’ vehicle for him to enjoy in the sun.

Barely used - the owner tells us that it has only been used for around 130 miles since being completed - it is being offered with a very sensible estimate and with no reserve, which means it will sell from the very first bid!

Painted in the modern colour of Battleship Grey, Swampy’s bodywork is in a very good condition. Sure, there is the odd small paint run, patch of orange peel and minor mark but it’s very presentable and anyway, like Clint Eastwood, vehicles like this simply get better as they age.

And its looks are further enhanced with a pair of custom Smittybilt bumpers that feature a pair of auxiliary driving lights at the front and a very useful receiver hitch at the rear. Beautifully fabricated, one of the joys of building such a simple vehicle is that you can splash out on the few bolt-on extras you do need.

Not one for shrinking violets, the body has also been lifted by two inches to further reinforce the already wonderfully OTT four-inch suspension lift.

This, along with 36-inch tyres, gives Swampy the sort of stance you rarely see outside of Antarctica. Still, if you’re in the mood for a spot of fun-in-the-sun, the Jeep’s fold-down windscreen, minimal bikini top and open doors provide the sort of open-sir experience that is more usually the preserve of members of the VSCC.

Chequer-plate protects the rear corners and play home to modern LED rear lights. Black wheelarch extensions cover the 12.5-inch wide tyres, and a substantial spare wheel carrier holds the (slimmer) spare.

An equally substantial roll-over cage has been bolted in to give the occupants an element of protection in the event of a bump and provides location for the bikini top. (A full soft-top could be fitted if the new owner would prefer a little more protection from inclement weather.)

The slotted 15-inch mag wheels are in good shape (let’s face it; you’re never going to kerb them, are you?) and are shod with matching 36 x 12.5” Super Swamper off-road tyres.

Oh, and while the Jeep doesn’t have conventional doors, the door frames are provided with the vehicle.

Problems? Well, if we’re being ultra-picky then the glass lens and mounting screws on the grille-mounted spot lamps are discoloured and streaked with rust. Rectifying it would be a half-hour job at most, while the few minor rubbing points could be touched-up or left as they are, depending the new owner’s perspective on patina.

The inside is as minimal as the exterior is extrovert. Featuring two high-back seats in the front and a small bench seat in the rear, all have seatbelts, albeit on lap belts. All the seats still look close to new and have no rips, tears or other damage.

The dashboard is ultra-simple but beautifully executed, and the huge steering wheel provides plenty of leverage for the unassisted steering, which has a surprisingly tight turning circle.

It’s even still got its heater, something that might sound obvious but the heater is often one of the first things to be removed when people strip these old 4x4s back to the basics.

Speaking of basics, the floor is finished with an ultra-tough textured paint and protected by simple rubber mats. Two gearlevers sprout from the floor; while modern Land Rover drivers press buttons, old school Jeep owners still shift the sort of metal levers that Brunel would recognise.

Work to do? Nothing really; it’s got everything you need and nothing you don’t – and what there is is very nicely finished indeed and a tribute to the man across the Atlantic that built it.

As you’d expect, a Jeep like Swampy isn’t fitted with the sort of boring, small-capacity turbo-diesel engine that is installed with fuel economy and efficiency in mind. Oh no, Swampy still has his original five-litre (304 cubic inch) V8 petrol engine mated to a three-speed manual gearbox, a twin straight-through exhaust system with side pipes, and a worse attitude than Dominic Cummings caught outside his home by a Guardian journalist.

Said by the deaf MOT tester to have “the best engine I’ve ever heard” this freshly rebuilt and ‘breathed on’ V8 is possibly the fastest way to convert cash into noise we’ve ever seen.

As you can see and hear in the video, it starts promptly, shows good oil pressure even at idle, and sounds amazing. The vendor tells us that the exhaust could be down-tuned with the addition of a couple of silencers but honestly; why would you?

We’ve driven it, and the verdict is (funnily enough) ‘it’s hilarious – and goes like stink!’

The engine bay is very clean and nicely detailed, and the only thing we can find to criticize is the fact that the colour of the distributor cap clashes with the colour of the engine…

Other highlights include the original heavy duty 3.73:1 ‘mail-spec’ differentials, Warn freewheeling front hubs, a four-inch suspension lift (with new dampers) on top of a two-inch body raise, 15-inch slotted mag wheels with chunky 36 x 12.5 tyres, and a very clean underside.

As you can imagine, it is probably all but unstoppable off-road and we’re pretty certain that the driver would lose their nerve before Swampy showed even mild distress. We’ve done a fair bit of off-roading ourselves, and would love the chance to take it along somewhere like the Strata Florida in the snow or Black Rock Sands on a summer day with a BBQ, three mates, and a cooler full of beer in the back.

Freshly serviced and fettled to get it through its first MOT, it benefits from a large number of new bits and bobs including a rebuilt alternator; please see the invoices for the full details, but the labour figure alone came to four-figures.

The owner tells us that Swampy draws more attention than anything he’s ever driven – and this is a man with a 20-strong collection of very nice classic and collectable cars.

A fastidious owner, he’s an old school engineer who isn’t afraid to spend the appropriate amount of money to keep his cars in the very best condition. As such, not only does Swampy start, run and drive as he should but the vendor has also built up a small collection of spare parts that include a water pump, wheel bearings, stainless steel brake hoses, and drive belts.

The Jeep’s MOT certificate expires in November 2020.

The car comes with a number of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it, along with its export paperwork, American certificate of title, and a receipt to show that all UK taxes and VAT have been paid.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’.

NB: The V5 registration document shows the Jeep as having a 4200cc engine. This is incorrect; it actually has the much rarer, more desirable and more powerful 5.0-litre/304ci V8 (as per the US docs). The new owner may therefore wish to amend the logbook to reflect the actual capacity.

The only reason it hasn’t been done already is because the owner has only just spotted the error…

We recently sold the vendor’s BESPOKE Land Rover Defender, so regular auction watchers might remember that he’s trying to whittle his collection down – and given he’s still currently nudging 20 cars, he’s a way to go yet…

Which means his favourite holiday wheels are reluctantly up for sale. Absolutely not a vehicle with mass-market appeal, it’s only going to appeal to an enthusiast with a strong sense of the absurd, a fondness for OTT monster trucks - and a ready supply of ear defenders.

The owner pays just £120 a year for a fully comprehensive insurance policy, which means that running costs might not be as ruinous as you might think; while the V8 petrol engine’s fuel consumption is roughly on a par with that of the average cruise liner, the low cost of insurance, its historic tax status, and robust, cheap-to-repair mechanics mean that the short journeys you are going to use it for won’t cost you a fortune.

But, we hear you ask, how much am I going to have to find to make it mine? Well, while similar cars in America are being advertised for anywhere between $18,000 and $25,000, we think this one will sell for somewhere between £10,000 and £16,000 thanks to a smaller pool of interested parties.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.