A Jeep Wrangler is one of the most retro vehicles you can buy. This SUV’s distinctive shape dates back to the WWII Willys Jeep. The Jeep has remained a cultural icon through decades of automotive evolution. While you can order a 2022 Jeep Wrangler in an array of glitzy, modern colors, you can also choose to configure it to look more timeless.

Start with a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

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For years, the Willys trim was the Wrangler’s most retro configuration. But for 2022 every Wrangler Willys comes with decidedly modern plastic fenders: only the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon offers retro, body-colored fenders.

The Willys may have retro badging such as the old “4-wheel drive” sticker and is available with vintage touches such as a khaki cloth interior. But with its plastic fenders, a 2022 Jeep Wrangler Willys still looks like a modern Jeep from a mile away.

In 2022, the most retro Jeep trim you can get is a Wrangler Rubicon because you can order it with body-colored fenders. Jeep labels this option the “body-color Rubicon Highline flare.”

Two-door soft-top Jeep Wranglers look more retro

Want a retro-looking Jeep Wrangler? Opt for the shorter two-door configuration. The four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is a nearly ubiquitous SUV. But Jeep has only offered this long-wheelbase version of the Wrangler for the vehicle’s latest generation. For most of Jeep history, every Wrangler was a two-door. For this reason, a two-door Wrangler simply looks more timeless.

Since the Willys Jeep, Jeep has been the quintessential American open-top 4×4. Modern Jeeps offer well-insulated hardtops. But for that retro look, opt for a soft top. Better yet, order Jeep’s khaki-colored “Sunrider” soft top: it looks like a piece of canvas right out of WWII.

Choose an earth-tone color

Because Jeep’s origins date back to WWII 4WDs, slightly military colors will give it a more vintage vibe. Opt for Jeep’s Army green or tan colors. They are called “Sarge Green” and “Gobi.” Make sure to select the “Rubicon Highline Flare” body-colored fenders as well.

Next, select the Wrangler’s black wheels for their straight-cut look. Then upgrade to the steel bumper to minimize the amount of visible plastic. If you want to break up the expanse of a light color, such as the “Gobi” tan, you can add the black “reinforced” tailgate hinge and even the matte black front grille without compromising the retro look of your Wrangler.

Unfortunately, you cannot order the Rubicon with the Jeep Willys’ vintage-look khaki tan cloth interior. But if you want to maintain the sepia color pallette of your retro Rubicon, you can swap the stock black cloth seats for brown leather ones.

Drop the top and the doors

Few things can make a Jeep Wrangler look as timeless as dropping the top, removing the doors, and even folding down the windshield. This configuration connects a 2022 Wrangler to the open-top Jeeps of yesteryear that ferried G.I.s across war-torn Europe or off-road enthusiasts along America’s favorite 4×4 trails.

If you are not a huge fan of a doorless Wrangler, but want a retro-looking Jeep, consider ordering your Rubicon with Jeep’s “dual door group” which includes half-doors to give your Jeep that open-air feel.

Any Jeep Wrangler will be one of the more retro SUVs around. But with these configuration tips you can order a Jeep that looks as if it just rolled out of WWII.