There have been a lot of highlights in my life since I started this crazy journey with Expedition Portal and Overland Journal. But to this day, one of the most memorable and fun experiences I can remember has been the opportunity to test drive an AEV Jeep with a Hemi conversion and manual transmission. I drove it on a day-long adventure around Prescott, Arizona, both on the road and off. I still get a smile on my face when I think about it years later.
And apparently, I was not the only one who felt that way. You can check our review back from 2012, which, by the way, is our most viewed videos from our YouTube channel.
So when I received an email asking to do a feature on this 2015 Jeep Rubicon AEV, I could not resist, as I honestly believe this is one of the most exciting 4x4s on the American market.
This one deserves to be “named” AEV as it wears pretty much every AEV accessory that was available in the catalog at that time. And that includes the custom AEV front hood, wheels, snorkel, bumpers, water carrier, etc.
But the most exciting part is what’s under that special hood (and the body) since it has been professionally converted by AEV to a 6.4 Hemi and a 6-speed manual transmission. Having so much power in a Jeep really transforms it and makes you appreciate #JeepLife in a whole different way. Especially for someone who grew up driving “stick shift” and still cannot imagine life without a clutch.
In case you want to get a sense of how much work is involved in this conversion, take a look at this video:
The list of features is so long that it’s more appropriate to just copy/paste the bullet point list here:
- Jeep Details:
- 2015 Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
- ~36k Miles
- Sunset Orange exterior
- Black leather interior
- Clean MO Title (in the name of the seller’s LLC)
- Vehicle Location: Glendale, CA 91027 (vehicle cannot be sold to a private-party CA buyer)
- AEV Build:
- AEV 6.4L Hemi conversion
- AEV 6-Speed Manual Transmission conversion (rare combination, one of approx. 26 manual Hemi’s converted by AEV)
- AEV 4.5″ suspension lift
- AEV HD Springs (new)
- AEV Instrument Cluster
- AEV Heat reduction hood
- AEV Premium Front bumper with Warn winch and hawse style fairlead
- AEV Rear bumper with Tire Carrier, Hi‑Lift / Pull-Pal Mount & Shovel
- AEV Roof rack
- AEV Floor mats (new)
- AEV Snorkel
- AEV Rear Corner Guards
- AEV Corner Guardrails (new)
- AEV HI‑Lift / Pull-Pal Mount
- AEV Black Premium Leather w/ AEV logos on headrest
- AEV Savegre Wheels
- AEV JK Rear Vision System (Camera in spare tire, monitor inside rear view mirror)
- AEV Fuel Caddy & siphon
- Additional Upgrades:
- 5x BFGoodrich 37″ KO2 (less than 1.5k miles, spare is unused)
- Dynatrac Custom Trail Series 60 High Pinion Semi-Float Rear Axle Assembly
- RCV Ultimate Dana 44 CV Axle Set w/ 300mm Inner Shafts
- Synergy Inner Axle Sleeve & Gusset Kits
- Reid Racing Heavy Duty Jeep JK High Steer Knuckle
- Synergy Rear Drive Shaft Upgrade
- Synergy Jeep JK Heavy Duty Drag Link Kit
- Synergy Jeep JK Chromoly Tie Rod
- Synergy Jeep JK Front Track Bar
- Dynatrac Prosteer Ball Joints
- Sierra Gear & Axle 4.56 Gears
- ARB Front and Rear Diff covers (Black)
- Fox 2.0 Performance Series ATS Steering Stabilizer
- Baer big brake kit (red), 6 piston fronts, 4 piston rears with drilled & slotted rotors (new pads)
- Adjustable upper & lower control arms, front and rear (recently installed)
- Stealth Shelf (slightly raised rear floor with 3x bags underneath)
- Power Tank w/ roll bar mount
- Fire extinguisher mounted to roll bar
- VisionX 6.7″ Light Cannons w/ Euro Covers (Clear + Amber)
- VisionX 24″ Xmitter Low Profile Prime Xtreme Black w/ Amber Cover
- VisionX 4.7″ Square Utility Xtreme Rear LED work/flood/backup light
- Rugged Ridge A-Pillar Switch housing with Carling Technologies switches and custom Contura XIV rockers
- KC Hilites LED Headlights
- KC Hilites Fog Lights
- JW Speaker LED Brake Lights
- Oracle LED Mirror Lights (wide-angle)
- GraBars handles, front & rear (Black)
- 67 Designs Phone & Camera Mount (dashboard mount)
- Rock Slide Engineering Step Sliders w/ lights, newly installed
- Rock Slide Engineering Full Length Fender Flares (F&R), newly installed
- Fishbone Off Road Aluminum Inner Fenders
- Pull Pall (Never used)
- High Lift Jack (New)
- Brawlee Rear glass liftgate LED lighting (custom switch that allows On/Off/Door functionality)
- Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Electronic Brake Control & Trailer Wiring
- Core Shifters 6 speed shift knob
- B&M Extended Transfer Case Handle with Core Shifters knob
- Tuffy Security Product Driver & Passenger under-seat lockboxes
- Maximus 3 Driver seat Flashlight holder w/ MagLite clips & LED flashlight
- Cascadia 4×4 Flipster (folding front license plate cover in front of winch fairlead)
- SSV Works LED Interior light (above rearview mirror with On/Door functionality)
- Interior incandescent dome lights replaced with LEDs
I don’t know if this is a record, but one single invoice from AEV was $65,000. The original Rubicon invoice was $40,000. So it’s easy to imagine that there has been well over $120,000 spent on this Jeep. With only 36,000 miles on it, it looks like someone may be getting a really good deal. At the time of writing, the current auction price was coincidentally (or not) $36,000. Be warned however that this amount may not be including all the fines for speeding you may be getting.
The seller is unfortunately unable to register it legally in California so he decided to sell it on BringATrailer. You can also see the listing on our forum here.
If there really is an “It’s a Jeep thing,” well, this one we can understand.
