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Famous Jeeps: The Fratelli's Jeep XJ from The Goonies

Updated on Jan 6, 2025

It's been nearly four decades since Steven Spielberg's The Goonies first graced the silver screen. That's forty years since Chunk debuted his iconic truffle shuffle, and Data tested his Slick Shoes on the Fretilli boys, giving chase.

This iconic film holds a special place in the hearts of many, whether you caught it in theatres during its initial release or were shown it by parents decades after its debut. From action-packed sequences to ghastly skeleton pirates, the film has it all—including a memorable introduction featuring a high-speed police chase in a modified Jeep Cherokee XJ.

The above-mentioned vehicle is the topic of this month's Famous Jeeps feature. Here, we discuss the Fratelli family's 1984 Jeep Cherokee, riddled with bullet holes from the introductory jailbreak and police chase sequence. Stay tuned as we cover the iconic Jeep, its use in The Goonies, and a comprehensive build guide to piece together a tribute Jeep XJ build.

Table of Contents:

The Film

The Jeep

Build Your Own The Goonies Inspired Jeep XJ

The Film: The Goonies

1985's The Goonies is one of the more successful young adult films of its decade, both culturally and financially. The film, which features a screenplay written by Chris Columbus of Home Alone and Harry Potter fame, offers the ideal blend of adventure and heartwarming comradery. It's a coming-of-age tale for all, perfectly capturing the trials and tribulations of youth, from adolescence to late teenage years.

The film follows a ragtag group of protagonists, bonded by friendship and blood, on a journey to discover the long-lost treasure of legendary pirate One-Eyed Willy. Along the way, the friends evade booby traps and a band of robbers to find the fabled loot.

The Jeep: 1984 Jeep Cherokee XJ

The robbers mentioned above are the Fratellis—a mother and two sons who've built a life on crime, including robbery, counterfeiting, and arson. The three are some of the state's most notorious criminals. However, arguably, the family's most dastardly deed is the mistreatment of their sibling and son, Lotney "Sloth" Fratelli, who sports several extreme facial deformities from abuse as a child.

The family drives a sleek, black Jeep Cherokee XJ, a vehicle that stands out with its unique modifications, including a brush guard, aftermarket lighting, and oversized tires. The Jeep appears in several sequences in the film. However, the most memorable is the introductory/title sequence, in which Mama Fratelli and eldest brother, Jake, break youngest brother Francis out of jail in exciting fashion, resulting in a high-speed chase through the streets of Astoria, Oregon.

Build Your Own The Goonies Tribute Jeep Cherokee

If you're anything like myself, the Jeep sequences in The Goonies are some of the film's most memorable. The Jeep Cherokee XJ is one of the most timeless four-wheel-drive rigs and arguably the best to come out of the eighties. If you're interested in building a tribute to the Fratelli's Jeep Cherokee, you've come to the right place. Stay tuned for our comprehensive build guide as we outline the platform, parts you'll need, step-by-step instructions, and tips for achieving a screen-accurate replica.

Platform

The Fratelli's Jeep is a classic black Cherokee XJ. Though the screen-used vehicle is a 1984 model year, any '84–'86 Jeep Cherokee should suffice. Be mindful that although the XJ generation persisted for several additional years ('84–'01), the first two model years were the only ones to include the 10-slot grille design found on the screen-used Jeep.

Body

The screen-used Jeep dons one of the model's most desirable color combinations, consisting of a black (P1) exterior over an Almond interior. When paired with the bright factory chrome grille and body-colored bumpers, these colors result in a stylish, factory-optioned Jeep.

Wheels & Tires

The Fratelli's Jeep sports factory machined alloy wagon wheel paired with Michelin LTX all-terrain tires. While we'd recommend sourcing factory Jeep Cherokee wheels for your tribute build, other machined alloy wheels will work in a pinch.

If you're unable to locate factory wheels, consider a period-correct alternative, like American Racing machined AR62 Outlaw II wheels. Wrap these wheels in mild truck tires with white letters, like the Cooper Evolution H/T, for solid road manners and similar aesthetics.

Suspension

Depending on the shot, the screen-used Jeep appears to sit on factory suspension or a mild lift kit, like the Superlift 2.5" standard lift kit. We recommend the slight lift and larger tires for aesthetics' sake, though both setups would likely be screen-accurate.

Grille Guard and Lights

The Fratelli's Jeep Cherokee sports a stylish black grille guard outfitted with two pairs of off-road lights. While we don't currently stock grille guards for the 1984 Jeep Cherokee, we offer several lights that perfectly match their silver screen counterparts. Consider the KC HiLiTES Daylighter 6" halogen lights and Rugged Ridge 7" rectangular off-road lights for screen-accurate looks and exceptional low-light performance.

Additional Details

To finish off the tribute build, consider adding a few bullet hole decals to the Jeep's rear hatch as an homage to the rowdy car chase. As Chunk puts it, "ORV, four-wheel-drive, bullet holes the size of matzo balls!"

If you follow these blueprints, you'll be driving your screen-accurate tribute to Mama Fratelli's Jeep Cherokee XJ from The Goonies.

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.