The short answer is... eight months of incredibly hard work from the most talented people I know; my team. The long answer is, it needed to be better looking, stronger, more feature packed, have better craftsmanship, and be more customizable than any bumper ever made... period.
Let’s take a look at how we accomplished each of these.
1- Design
Making metal art:
From the time I was 15 all I wanted to be was an automotive designer, until I made the haunting discovery that once I made a great concept my role in creating something was over.
No... I wanted to create something from sketch to shipping label.
So fast-forward to today: after hundreds of hours and hundreds of drawings (yes, hundreds) with the help of my team; we designed a bumper that simultaneously made an aggressive statement, while looking like it could’ve come on a Wrangler JL from the factory. It might not be a painting, but it is most definitely art, our art.
2- Strength
Apocalypse proof:
From making all of our components out of certified ATSM alloy steel, to making our winch box out of quarter-inch plate rather than three-sixteenths, we upgraded materials wherever possible. We also designed our skid plate to mount directly to the frame horns (an industry first) and having 14 bolt locations to ensure maximum load dispersion into the frame. This increases the overall strength in both recovery and in impacts. Top to bottom we improved from the industry standard at every point possible.
3- Features
All of them:
We could have just thrown in some brackets or holes for accessory lighting, but we didn’t. We painstakingly found a way to incorporate both a sunk winch design and Baja Designs fog lights, while keeping the bumper extremely low profile and sleek. We integrated a 20 inch light bar into the skid plate with armor, and we increased the size of our signature honeycomb grills to allow for beautiful accent lighting or turn signals. We also ensured that our winch box could handle any winch you might have or want, even the massive Warn Zeon platinum 12S.
4- Craftsmanship
Like nothing you’ve ever seen:
We are already proud of our industry leading craftsmanship, but we wanted to see how far we could push the envelope with the EVO. From hand polished tube-work, bends, and welds, to a hand sanded, mirror like surface, we left no detail untouched.
5- Customizable
Make your Jeep truly one of one:
One of the most important things to every Jeep owner is making their rig one of a kind. With accent pieces and multi-body construction, not to mention our options for accessories; every EVO can truly be one of one. We can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!
At the time of this blog posting pre-order is open and we will be delivering in February 2025. If you got to the end of this, thank you for taking the time to look into off-road concepts, it's my life's work and passion to deliver the best off-road parts ever made!
See you on the trail!
-Jackson Green,
President & CDO - Off Road Concepts