Automakers discard most engineering prototypes. In the 1970s, a Jeep worker building a unique prototype fell in love, saving the innovative idea. After years, his family is restoring the car. 13ABC believes the car is a Jeep J10 pickup truck prototype with an enlarged cab. Jeep Research and Development Engineering Supervisor Harold “Pete” Johnson worked in the 1970s. He shaped the Jeep. Jeep created the odd J10 in 1977 but didn’t produce it. The extended-cab prototype should have finished there. Paula Smith and her husband, Michael, continue Johnson’s work. Since he adored it, he hid it in the plant’s filing cabinet area. Michael Smith claimed, “When they left, the Jeep would come back out, and they’d use it to get lunch.” Johnson got his bosses to let him buy the truck for $1 because he was leaving. The automobile joined the family then. Smith says Johnson’s heirs only realised the truck’s value once they spotted wood on top of it in his shop. After his wife died, Johnson disregarded his pledge to rebuild the car completely. Smith disassembled the engine and transmission until the vehicle was only the frame. Everything was restored. The family nicknamed the truck “unicorn” due to its odd appearance. Smith worked on the car after work. Working on a one-time assignment was difficult, but it paid off. “I promised grandma on her deathbed that I would put it back exactly the way grandpa had it,” Smith said. I searched for the inner headliner for three months.” Johnson’s Jeep coworkers have phoned his family to reminisce. The journey has been documented on Facebook. This endeavour lets people connect with their past. Paula Smith stated, “I wish Grandpa were here to see it, but I guess he is.” This makeover produced a pristine Jeep J10 with a rare look on American roads. Paula and Michael Smith will fly to Toledo, Ohio, this weekend for their success. When completed, the car will generate a sensation as it did in 2019.
