But the real party trick is the blingy Continental tire kit, with its extended chrome rear bumper and white tire cover. It’s funny, because Jeeps are among the more common cars to hang their spare tire on the back, but nobody ever calls a Jeep with a spare at the rear a “Continental style” setup; for that you need chrome and vinyl and at the very least aspirations of country club membership and maybe a few ideas that make people under 30 cringe when they hear you talk about them at Thanksgiving. Really, though, what I want to point out is that Jeep seemed to have some sort of belief or wish that Jeepsters could lure in and dazzle crowds. Look at the one up there, everyone losing their shit and stopping that Jeepster on the road so they could crowd around it and really inspect the crap out of that thing, leaning in close to drink in all of the glorious Jeepsterism its outgassing. What I find interesting is that this was the same method Jeep used to sell Jeepsters back in 1948, with the first generation of Jeepster:
See? Another crowd, all lured in with Jeepster Magic, leaning in and just admiring the paint off that thing, the intensity of their stares burning holes in the seat vinyl, the air heady with Jeepster arousal hormones. Hope you like attention, Jeepster owners! Also, here’s a nice detail on the OG Jeepster: see the chrome steps in front of and atop the rear fender, to get into the back? Those are great. If I get sucked into one of these crowds, maybe I’ll focus my ardor on those.
