Famous Jeeps: Cher’s 1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ from Clueless

The Film: Clueless

Upon its release in 1995, Clueless failed to garner promotion from its production company—Paramount. After all, at the time of production, Clueless was seen by many as no more than another throw-away teen dramedy. However, it didn’t take long for the movie to pick up steam for its witty writing, personable and relatable characters, and personality that far overshot expectations. Now, nearly three decades after the film's box office release, it’s become a cult classic and an influential piece of cinema hailed by audiences of all ages. 

Clueless follows its narrator, Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone)—a wealthy California teen going through the throes of adolescence alongside friends Dione (Stacey Dash), Amber (Elisa Donovan), and a new girl, Tai (Brittany Murphy). As a self-proclaimed matchmaker and makeover specialist, Cher turns her attention to Tai, vowing to refresh her style and manners to transform her into one of the popular kids. 

Unfortunately, this plan backfires when Tai’s popularity skyrockets above Cher’s, forcing her to reconsider her motives and the things she holds most dear (her popularity, mainly).

The Jeep: White 1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ

Throughout the film, Cher pilots a white 1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ through the streets of suburban Los Angeles. Unfortunately for the Jeep, Cher isn’t the most component behind the wheel, as evidenced by her multiple collisions and failed driving test. 

During the film's introduction, Cher narrates a colorful and somewhat inaccurate description of the Jeep, claiming it sports “Four-wheel drive, dual side airbags, and a monster sound system.” Oddly, Jeep Wranglers didn't even come with front airbags until the TJ generation, and dual side airbags until over a decade later with the release of the JK. 

The Jeep shows up in the film’s iconic intro scene, her driving test, amongst others.

Not So Clueless: 2023 Super Bowl Commercial

Clueless fans rejoiced to see Alicia Silverstone reprise her role as Cher Horowitz in a 2023 Super Bowl commercial for an online coupon site. The commercial shows Silverstone recreating her classroom debate scene in the iconic yellow plaid outfit, shopping through the streets of downtown LA, and even crashing a white Jeep Wrangler JL into a box truck—I guess not much has changed!

Build Your Own Clueless Inspired Jeep CJ-7

If you’ve ever wanted to build your own Clueless-inspired Jeep Wrangler, you’ve come to the right place. This section covers the platform, parts, and accessories you’ll need to build a screen-accurate replica of Cher’s YJ.

Platform

To kick things off, we’ll need a platform to build on. The screen-used Jeep is a 1994 model year, but any Jeep YJ (87–95) should suffice. However, we’d recommend finding a later-model YJ (1991–1995) due to the switch from the dated 4.2L I6 to the modern 4.0L I6 engine.

Body

The body of Cher’s Jeep YJ sports factory is Bright White (PW7) paint over a dark gray (1990+) interior. While sheet metal can be painted and the interior can be replaced, finding a Wrangler in this spec would be the least amount of effort. 

Additionally, Cher’s Wrangler features a chrome grille overlay and factory chrome bumpers. While we don’t carry an identical chrome grille overlay, the Rampage Chrome Grille offers a similar aesthetic.

Wheels and Tires

Cher’s Jeep Wrangler sports factory steel wheels and tires—somewhere around a 215/75R15. For modern tech and vintage looks, consider wrapping a classic all-terrain, like the General Grabber A/TX Tires, around a timeless, polished aluminum wheel, like the Mickey Thompson Polished Classic III Wheels.

Suspension

The screen-used Jeep appears to sport stock suspension, though any 20-plus-year-old Jeep can use some work under the sheet metal. Consider upgrading your Jeep’s suspension with all-new bushings and premium dampers from RealTruck, like the Superlift Shadow Series.

Details

For final details, consider upgrading the Jeep with the “monster sound system” Cher describes in the film, which looks to be an aftermarket head unit and enclosed 6x9 marine speakers clamped onto the roll bar. 

With these final details handled, you’ll have yourself a screen-accurate tribute to Cher Horowitz’s Jeep Wrangler YJ from Clueless. 

As always, we offer all the parts and know-how to piece together this build and countless others at RealTruck. For additional information, check out the rest of our articles on RealSource, and don’t hesitate to contact the experts.