SRT8 Grand Cherokee Is a Rare, Limited Beast
Crazy 1-of-2 custom SRT8 Grand Cherokee was built by a now-defunct company, and had an original MSRP of $79,900.
There’s a very good chance even the most die-hard of SRT Grand Cherokee fans would have a hard time identifying this one. That is because only a handful were ever made, and only two are suspected to exist still. Luckily for myself and anyone interested, a friend of mine named Chris Cake happens to own one of the two and took some time out of his work schedule to do a photo and video shoot with me. He purchased it secondhand a few years back and since seeing it for the first time the history of this bizarre super Jeep has been on my mind. It isn’t easy to track down info on these things, but after some digging, I do have a bit of light to shine. These SRT8 Jeeps are an unfortunate victim of the economic crash of 2008.
MXM USA was a company that set out to make an everyday driveable “Supercar Utility Vehicle” on the SRT8 Grand Cherokee chassis. They offered this model, the 500VR, which is naturally aspirated, and the 600XR, which has superchargers. Due to lack of sales in coordination with the economic crash of 2008, all that remains of MXM and its super jeeps is a handful of forum posts and an old youtube clip outlining the 600XR. The most prominent monument remaining, though, is the handful of Jeeps that sold. Cake has done a thing or two since he acquired it. However, let’s start from the beginning. What exactly did this company do to these things?
An Unfamiliar Face
The most standout feature from MXM is the front end redesign. This whole assembly is handmade from carbon fiber. The grille and hood are a substantial departure from the stock design. The grille features horizontal strakes rather than the traditional Jeep design. The hood and fenders both feature functioning carbon fiber laden vents. While this one has a carbon fiber front splitter, it is an addition that Cake did himself.
Furthermore, the MXM examples sit on a set of custom two-piece twenty-two-inch wheels. Low profile tires ensure the ride height stays low and intimidating. Other than these changes and the MXM badging on the rear, the exterior remains mostly stock.
Interior Fit for a King
The biggest changes in the MXM models are on the interior. The dash wears carbon fiber and Alcantara all over. The floor mats and carpets all wear the MXM logo, including the one in the trunk. The original sound system included Bose speaker upgrades and a JL Audio 10″ subwoofer.
The Alcantara continues throughout the interior. The roof pillars and headliner are entirely replaced with Alcantara. Additionally, the door cards also feature the iconic, soothing material. MXM really did what they could to make this interior feel like a huge step up from the original.
Big Power to Match the Big Changes
While the 500VR came with the standard 6.1-liter Hemi V8 with a few changes to add a bit of power, they did not have superchargers upon delivery. Though, Cake made easy work of that. He installed this Procharger centrifugal supercharger himself. Though he doesn’t have an exact power figure, he has managed to crack off a zero to sixty time comparable to the new Trackhawk in the low three-second range. The way this thing plows you into the seat is nothing short of addicting. As you can hear in this youtube clip, too, it sounds absolutely nuts.
The 600XR examples came with Vortech supercharger kits installed. Those setups are very similar to Cake’s Procharger install.
Rolling Reminder of Unfortunate Timing
These Jeeps are not easy to track down. A 600XR SRT8 was on display at the Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson auction in 2009. It allegedly sold for over $90,000 at the auction. Additionally, one was listed on eBay in 2009, according to a 2009 Forum Thread. If you search for info on them, you’ll likely be left without answers after finding a few lackluster forum posts and a sale ad for this car.
Though many of those forum posts reflect negatively toward the redesigns, we are quite fond of this car. We think that MXM would have thrived in a stronger market and ultimately failed due to the financial crisis. We will never know, unfortunately. If you ever run into a 2008 SRT8 Grand Cherokee SRT8 with a funky grille and hood, stop and ask about it. You may just be looking at one of these crazy rare rides.
For a closer look at his beast, check out the gallery below.
Photos for JK Forum by Braden Carlson