Famous Jeeps: The 1992 Jeep Wrangler YJ Sahara from Jurassic Park

The Film: Jurassic Park

1993’s Jurassic Park is more than just a high-budget action film; it's the start of a multi-billion dollar franchise and cultural phenomenon! Jurassic Park debuted what was, at the time of the film’s release, some of the world's most cutting-edge practical and computer-generated special effects, including full-scale animatronic dinosaurs and fully-rendered prehistoric beasts! The original Jurassic Park, which precedes a 3-film trilogy, was such a box-office success that it held the record of highest-grossing film for four years straight! 

Jurassic Park follows a team of researchers and wealthy business tycoons who plan to open a theme park unlike anything the world’s ever seen. On the fictional island of Isla Nubar, just off Central America’s Pacific coast, genetic cloning experiments utilizing blood encased in ancient mosquitos result in living, breathing dinosaurs. The park's inventor plans for these dinosaurs to serve as its main attraction; however, upon a test tour of the park, a disgruntled employee sabotages the containment systems, allowing dinosaurs to run freely amongst the guests and crew. 

The ensuing film is a race for survival as the remaining crew and visitors attempt to escape the island in one piece!

The Jeep: 1992 Jeep Wrangler YJ Sahara

In the 1993 blockbuster, a small fleet of Wrangler YJ’s transports researchers and crew across the island’s treacherous landscape, encountering several dinosaurs and unsavory fates along the way. Due to the island’s remote location and relatively undeveloped landscape, compact 4x4 rigs are necessary to move throughout Isla Nublar. 

The screen-used YJ’s feature a relatively stock appearance, save for vibrant red wheels and body graphics, auxiliary lights, winches, and other minor upgrades. 

Some of Jurassic Park's most memorable sequences take place in the Jeeps, including the film’s protagonists’ (Alan, Ellie, and Ian) first sighting of a live Brachiosaurus, the trio’s escape from a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex, and the park saboteur's (Dennis Nedry) end at the hands of a venom-spitting Dilophosaurus.

1992–2023: Jeep’s Current-Gen Homage

In 2023, Jeep unveiled a limited run of ‘Jurassic Park package’ Jeep Wrangler JLs and Gladiator JTs to commemorate the film’s 30th anniversary. The package caps out at just 100 units, making it one of the rarest special editions to date! 

While rare, this package consists of nothing more than minor aesthetic upgrades, including a deep red Jurassic Park livery, black wheels, a unique shift knob, and an optional 4WD shifter surround. Still, the creation of this package indicates Jeep’s gratitude for the film’s usage of its product, which undoubtedly boosted YJ sales figures in the mid-nineties!

Build Your Own Jurassic Park Inspired Jeep

We’ve all sat in theaters, eyeballing our favorite screen-used hero cars with envy. So if you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own Jurassic Park Jeep YJ, stay tuned! 

In this section, we’re covering the parts and accessories necessary to transform a bone-stock Jeep YJ into a screen-accurate Jurassic Park replica!

Platform

To kick things off, we’ll need a platform to build on. While Universal utilized the 1992 Jeep Wrangler YJ Saharas for filming, any 1987–1996 Jeep Wrangler will suffice for our replica build. Ideally, we’d locate a model in Sand Beige (J1/LJ1) with Spice interior; however, finding a clean, affordable platform may outweigh the cost of an interior swap and paint job.

Body

With our platform acquired, let’s check out any unique characteristics of the screen-used Jeep’s body! As aforementioned, Jurassic Park Jeeps all feature a Sand Beige (J1/LJ1) body and Spice interior. Depending on the film sequence, a matching Spice soft top may be paired with the Spice interior. Considering screen-used Jeeps are Sahara trims, they also feature body-colored fender flares and running boards. 

One of the Jurassic Park Jeep’s standout features is its custom decals, including red stripes, mirrors, windshield, and ‘Jurassic Park’ door logos. While most accents include some custom work, like the Sand Beige paint job and red graphics, we offer Spice soft tops and interior accents, like the factory-style Rugged Ridge Soft Top!

Wheels and Tires

Screen-used Jurassic Park Jeeps ride on factory 5-spoke alloys refinished in Ford Performance Red (ES). Wrapped around the factory alloys are discontinued BF-Goodrich Radial All-Terrain T/A tires in factory sizing (215/75-15). 

Due to the discontinuation of BF-Goodrich’s classic All-Terrain T/A and difficulty acquiring good-condition Jeep YJ factory wheels, we’d recommend an aftermarket solution. Consider similarly-styled American Racing Machined AR23 Wheels wrapped in Toyo Open Country A/T III Tires. While this setup is less than screen-accurate, a quick repaint and custom tire letters would result in a strikingly similar wheel/tire setup!

Suspension

For screen accuracy, we’d recommend retaining your Jeep YJ’s factory suspension, as the film-used Jeeps sit at factory ride height. However, this doesn’t mean upgrades aren’t in order! Consider replacing worn components with factory-style replacements from RealTruck, like Superlift Shadow Series Shocks! 

If screen accuracy is less of a concern, we’d recommend upgrading the suspensions with a mild lift kit, like the Rugged Ridge 2.5" system. Though the build wouldn’t be a direct replica, a small lift allows clearance for oversized tires and increased ground clearance. Plus, old Dennis probably wouldn’t have met his end if he had the ride height to clear those tricky logs after sliding off the road!

Upgraded Lighting

In Jurassic Park, the screen-used Jeeps feature various configurations of auxiliary lights. While all depictions include factory front-bumper-mounted fog lights and a rear amber, some scenes show the addition of a light bar and four roof-mounted lights. 

For extra visibility, we’d recommend outfitting the Jeep with two KC HiLiTES Apollo Pro Series Lights on the front bumper and Rugged Ridge 7" Rectangular Off-Road Lights for the light bar.

Winch

To top off our Jurassic Park Jeep build, we’ll need a vintage, steel-cable winch for the front bumper. While the winch depicted in the film has since been discontinued, we’d recommend mounting a Rugged Ridge 10,000 LB Trekker Winch on the front bumper, featuring similar styling and a cost-effective price point! 

With the accessories on this list ordered, you’ll be well on your way to piloting a replica Jeep JY from Jurassic Park!

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!