Agreed value coverage means your insurance company and you decide how much your car is worth before any problems happen, so you get that amount if something bad happens.
Vigilante 4x4 is a business that takes old off-road vehicles and upgrades them with new parts so they work better and are more reliable for long trips.
The Porsche 911 (964) is a famous sports car made around 30 years ago. It looks like older Porsches but has some new parts that make it better to drive.
The Mustang Shelby is a special version of the Ford Mustang that is faster and handles better. It has a stronger engine and looks sportier than regular Mustangs.
The Hellcat engine is a very powerful engine made by Dodge that gives cars a lot of speed and strength. It has 707 horsepower, which means it can make the car go very fast.
The Dodge Challenger is a strong and fast car that looks like the old muscle cars from many years ago. The Hellcat version has a very powerful engine that makes it go really fast. The speaker is talking about how powerful and exciting this car is.
The Dodge Hellcat is a very fast and powerful car made by Dodge. It has a big engine that makes a lot of power, so it can go really fast and is fun to drive.
The 1963 Corvette is a special old sports car made by Chevrolet. It has a unique back window split into two parts, which makes it very rare and valuable.
Pro Street means changing old cars to look and feel like race cars you can still drive on normal roads. They get stronger engines and special parts to go faster.
The Ford Bronco is a tough and popular SUV that people use for driving off-road and having adventures. It was first made a long time ago and has come back with new features. The speaker is probably saying itβs better to stick with one kind of vehicle instead of changing all the time.
The Wagoneer is a big SUV made by Jeep that people like for both fancy features and going off-road. Lately, it's become more expensive because it's popular again.
The Jeep Cherokee is a popular car that can drive on rough roads but is also good for regular driving. It has changed a lot over time to be more comfortable and have new features. The speaker is talking about different Jeep models and new versions coming soon.
The GMC Typhoon is a special kind of SUV made about 30 years ago that was really fast and fun to drive. It had a strong engine and could drive on all wheels, which was unusual back then. People like it now because itβs rare and cool.
The Dodge Durango is a big SUV that can pull heavy things like trailers or boats. Itβs strong and fast enough to do this safely.
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All right, welcome to the collector car podcast. Today, I have Daniel van Doveren on. Daniel,
how are you doing today? I'm doing good, Greg. How are you? Good. I'm really excited because for
those of you watching on YouTube, you can see he's got a lot of stuff behind him now that's not our
normal typical subject matter. As you know, this is called the collector car podcast,
but whenever I have someone talking about classic vintage trucks or sport utes, people
really seem to enjoy that. So I appreciate you being on the podcast. Appreciate you having us.
Yeah. So just for those who are not watching on video, behind you, we have a bunch of
jeeps in various, looks like stages of restoration and work done. You pretty much have
a rest-o-mod business that I absolutely love what you're doing. So if you would, tell us
what is the name of your business and then also, you know, a little history on it.
So we started off as Jeep Heritage, right? Jeep Heritage was the nothing bolts traditional
restoration company, which basically elevated the quality of classic jeeps to just to the
standards that you'd want to see on, you know, any, any respectable classic vehicle, right?
About five years ago, we shifted that completely into our second brand called Vigilante,
and which is 100% rest-o-mod, fully re-engineering of the same vehicles.
But with a more modern approach, we stay true to the original vibe of the vehicle, but it's
really, really critical that, you know, it drives like a modern car, it feels like a modern car,
and that is reliable, you know? People love these old Wagon Ears, people love these old classic
Jeeps, but they don't want to tinker on them every weekend, and they also don't want to, you know,
they want to be able to take them from coast to coast. So that's where we stepped in.
Yeah, so your rest of my business is called Vigilante 4x4, right?
It's Vigilante. The website is Vigilante4x4.com. All the handles, the Instagram and so on, it's
all Vigilante 4x4, but yeah, the proper name is Vigilante. In your baseware?
We are right outside of Austin in Texas at the start of the Hill Country.
Yeah, I noticed behind you have a nice big warehouse with some big-ass fans
going around there, so how's the temperature down there right now?
So right now we're, yeah, in the low 80s, not too bad for this time of year,
but we do get these cold fronts where, you know, you've got to put on a sweater and
four a couple of days, and then you can get back to shorts and t-shirts.
Well, I love your business for a couple reasons. First off, I totally agree with you. I mean,
first you've got Jeeps, you know, CJ-57s, Wagon-Ear, all those wonderful cars, Jeeps shirts,
everything, and you're keeping them relevant, I guess is the best way to put it. I mean,
there's such classic iconic styling, you're making them to where people can enjoy them
and drive them today, and obviously we've seen this trend with Singer doing it to portion 964s,
we've seen it with Ravology, with Mustangs and Shelby's, you know, we've seen it with Icon,
with the Toyota FJ, so I think this is really a great space you're in, and also what I love about,
I was looking on your website, what I love about your business model is you have different tiers,
so if you say, hey, I want a quote unquote entry level, you've got like your entry-level price
point, but then you can also upgrade it until you've got like a, you know, 707 horsepower
Hellcat engine, right? That's right. Yeah, so we, since we came from the stock restoration business,
yeah, we kind of let that evolve through time, we now see that, you know, 99% of what we do
is full rest of mod, we actually stopped completely, the website does need to get a little update,
the full stock restorations last year, at the end of last year, just because demand has shifted
completely, and but yeah, we do offer, you know, the traditional Mopar Hemi crate engines under
the hood, so it's going to be your 5.7, your SRT-8 392, 6.4 liter, or the 6.2 Hellcat or Hellcat
Red Eye, which produce up to 810 horsepower, so yeah, it's going from something that just needs
to be reliable to something that is pretty wild to drive and fun and exciting to drive.
Well, that's interesting that you had to transition your business model, because I know
here in Cincinnati, there's a guy that he basically takes 63 Corvette split windows,
and he'll make them into Pro Street, or Resto mods, and he'll just sell them at Barrett Jackson every
year, and you know, an absolute Concor, NCRS, 63 split window fuel, he's 300 grand on the high side,
and he's selling these Resto mods for $450,000, you know, so yeah, yeah, yeah.
I mean, how far can you take it? That's also the question, the thing, right? There's a definite
evolution in the market, since we've started this, you were mentioning Rivology, you were
mentioning Icon, the singer, these guys were the core essence of what founded this movement,
right? Super respectable, had often amazing, great source of inspiration for us.
We've kind of continued in that sense, and also, you know, the fact that we stay true to the deep
brand and no other vehicles, that's really critical to us is to, you know, stick within your rails,
and not, you know, do a Bronco one day, and then scout another day, no, stay true to what you're
good at, and specialize in that. There has been a real market shift, because people saw the interest
in, you know, in the way that we did this, and there's also, I hate to say it, but there's been
a transition, and I think there's also a shakeout coming now between, you know, the companies that
do put out respectful products, just like Rivology, like ourselves, and so on, and then, you know,
other brands that see the market opportunity, and just try to crunch numbers, and build something
that looks similar to what those guys build, but, you know, it's not half as good, and unfortunately,
it's unfortunate, but that's just the market, right? But yeah, we take great pride in doing
what we do, and people that understand and that have followed the brand since the beginning,
I mean, we're very lucky to have those clients. I mean, we've got several clients that we've built
three or four cars for already, repeat customers, which is great, that have just followed us through
time. I think that's a key point. You really have to get your name out there as the quality
provider and restorer, and, you know, so that when people see one, they know, oh, you know what,
this is a vigilante, this isn't Joe Schmo and his garage putting those things together, like,
you really need to get your name out there as you are, and that also comes down to resale value
as well. You know, you want to buy a known brand that has been sorted, it's done well, it's done
with the right craftsmen, with the right equipment, everything syncs together correctly, so that,
obviously, I can see how important that is. That's why singer prices have really gone through the
roof because they have built that brand, the same with Icon, you know, for reliability and quality.
Now, I have to ask, so a lot of these cars, SUVs you're dealing with, they're not worth a ton of
money. I mean, yes, the Wagoneer has gone out quite a bit recently, but do you have to do any
major modifications like the shock tower mounts, that kind of stuff to fit in the Hemi? I would
full deep dive, full technical deep dive, and this was only possible, you know, since it has
only been possible since a couple of years, right, because reverse engineering and 3D scanning and
all of those techniques were available before that, but I mean, it was just not accessible to
companies like us. So we started off by basically 3D scanning the bodies of three vehicles that we
that had a special place in our heart, the Wagoneer or the Grand Wagoneer, same body,
the Cherokee Chief, and the J-Truck. Since 2026, we now have also, you can see here in the back,
there's a scrambler. We have the same platform designed for the scrambler and the Jeepster
Commando is coming next. So still true to, you know, the Jeep lineage, but 3D scan of the body
that allows us to put the data in CAD to design a chassis, brand new chassis, we're not using the
stock chassis, modern suspension, four-link suspension, front and back, brand new axles,
front and back, that can hold that power and that won't leak over time and so on and so on,
big six piston brakes at each wheel. And obviously a selection of any of those Hemi's that we
build, now and then we'll do a 5.7 and now one with a Viper V10 a couple of years ago as well,
very fun to drive. However, you know, the Hellcat and Hellcat Red Eye are just the way to go if
you want to have, you know, the big power. Yeah, and what else I really love about what you're
doing is you're keeping it as stock looking as possible. I saw on your, you know, like your
three different levels, I think the first one correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know, the
base was like 175 and it went up to like 325 depending on level of powertrain, but each one
said basically keep the stock appearance as much as possible, right? That's right. So we,
basically the vehicle itself from start was not a very good vehicle, right? Back in the 80s,
those wagons weren't good at all. They were iconic, they were beautiful, they were amazing,
the aesthetic, everybody would recognize them everywhere, but functionally, they just, you
know, they're, I'm sorry to say they weren't very well built. So that left a lot of room
for improvement for us. So we've basically not only re-engineered a chassis and basically
re-engineered wheels that would fit the big six piston brakes, but that are a size bigger, but
that looks stock, right? But we've kept all the lines and the aesthetic on the dash, the gauges,
the climate control, etc. That all looks stock, the radio, it's an original radio, but everything's
got it out and basically interfaces, modernly with modern climate control, with, you know,
reading the data from the Hemi, enabling Bluetooth over your stock looking radio and that you can
change the songs still in a very analog way, you know, that you're very tactile way. You can,
it's, for me, it's really critical, the effort that you put into not only the drive train,
but also, you know, maintaining the original soul, the original, yeah, the soul of the vehicle.
And that when you step in, where it's going to be reliable, it's going to drive great, but,
you know, you want to have those push on buttons for the climate control. You don't want to have
little, you know, modern dials or LED flashing lights go, you know, on your radio, you got to feel,
you got to step in and we literally have re-engineered everything from basically functionality,
like I explained about the audio, the gauges, the climate control, but also every single door panel
is not made out of cardboard, like it used to be back in the days. No, it's all ABS paneling
that is refitted to meet better, tighter fitments and standards.
The doors shut better than they ever did. They sound better whenever you shut them. So it's,
you know, I've never owned anything else than these vehicles and that just gave me the opportunity
to really dive into what was good and what was bad about it and to study what was bad and just
take the time to make it evolve and to improve it. And yeah, that's really where we stand right now
with those four models. We'd like to add a few more. The scrambler is the big one for this year.
So yeah, we'll see where we go with that. The scrambler for us is going to be a,
you know, you see so many Broncos, you see so many Scouts out there. Jeep doesn't really have its
smaller vehicle, fun beach cruiser. So the scrambler is really going to fit in right there.
And then the wagon ears and the Cherokees basically, we pushed that to step higher
along with the K-5s and the bigger, the travel holes and so on and so on.
Well, it's interesting. I had Dave Kinney, he does the Hagerty Evaluation Guide on a couple
weeks ago and we were talking about the Grand Wagoneer because it was, I think it was part of
their bull market list for 2026. And he said, you know, I had one of those when they were new
the engine blew up at 4,000 miles. That's how bad of a car it was. And that's just amazing.
And I love looking online. I love looking at the interior work that you do.
Just absolutely stunning, incredible work. Now, what's the best way for our folks to learn more?
Go to Vigilante4x4.com. Yeah, that's probably the best way. Vigilante4x4.com. We've got,
yeah, we've obviously the regular social media platforms where we have a little bit more
of live features. And then we do, my wife and I do, each vehicle that rolls out of here, since
short, we try to basically, she does the drive, the driving experience of that vehicle. So from
a people perspective, that's also, it's also nice that to get her impression behind the wheels,
she's kind of our quality control lady here in the shop. And I'll do a deep dive just geeking out
on the functionality and going into the technicality of each build. And that is all hosted on YouTube.
Yeah, I was watching one of her drives earlier, really enjoying that. Now, what's the build time?
I know you have a couple that are available now, but what's the build time if you wanted to
custom spec one of your own jeeps? We are just over two years, which is great. It's a good moment
on the big, the big guys, right? The wagon ears, the cherries and the J trucks, the scramblers,
we are offering with an option, we're right now 12 months, we're going to try to be closer to nine
month on those, they're less complicated to build and we can, yeah, we can, we can,
you know, there's no electric doors on their electric windows, electric seats, electric mirrors,
and so on and so on. They're way more, yeah, just, you're back to the basics, right? But,
right, right. Okay. Well, I do want to get actually a couple questions here a minute. I gave you a
little heads up. It's the thing I like to do called keep cash and crush. But before I do that, what's
in your garage? Do you have anything cool in your garage from a classic or collector car
sport perspective? And that's a tricky one because I used to own probably 40 jeeps
as a collector, right? I've had every single low mileage vehicle. I had a CJ that was,
that had 2000 miles on it from 86. I had a wagon ear that belonged to the King of Belgium
that had less than 10,000 miles on it. Just, you know, super low mileage stuff from back in the
days. I honestly, what I enjoy doing is being surrounded with a team and build them. There's
always one that needs to be tested. Each and every one of these vehicles, we put about
1000 miles on them just to, you know, to retort them and just make sure everything is, is right
because whoever delivers a car with zero miles on it is just crazy. So I'm always driving something
else to be honest with you. And so I don't really have a need for, for a car yet. Of course we have
we have the family vehicles, but my heart is poured into the guys that you see here in the back
and that's what I enjoy. That's a great answer. I love that because as I have found most of the
folks that are living and breathing the car world or SUV world don't have one because they get it
through their day job, which is like the best of both worlds. It's also important that you,
that you stay in touch with kind of, you know, with the market and so now and then we'll rent
something, something cool out there and just, you know, just to, for a weekend or on a trip
somewhere, something modern to just to stay in touch with, with what's going on in the car world,
right? And then of course if there is room for inspiration to reapply that in, in what we do
every day, we'll do that. But yeah, I don't get a bigger kick than, than driving these vehicles.
That's, yeah, that's my, my, my love and passion. That's awesome. Well, as we close here, I do want
to play my little game with you. It's called Keep Caching Crush. So it's meant to be painful.
I'll give you three sport youths or pickup trucks and you have to tell me which one you want to
keep forever, which one you want to cash in and which one you unfortunately need to crush.
All right, so here are the three. The first is a 1972 Bronco Ford Bronco. Let's call it a really
nice condition, but this is the, I don't know if it's Stroop or Strope. It's the Strope Edition,
the Baja Rally Edition. The next one's a 92 Mint GMC Typhoon. So very early, hot, you know,
performance sport youth. And then the third one is a newer one, a 2024 Dodge Durango, but it's the
SRT Hellcat Silver Bullet with 20,000 miles. So that's the 20th, I think it's the 20th anniversary
one of the SRT engine. So 72 Bronco Strope, 92 GMC Typhoon, Typhoon, 24 Dodge Durango, SRT Hellcat
Silver Bullet. Which one would you keep forever? Which one would you cash in and which one would
you crush? Cash in the Bronco, I would. There it becomes difficult because my wife has daily drives
that Durango. So I'm going to get in trouble if I say I'm going to. But no, the Typhoon is great.
I have driven that back in the days. It was great little, I mean, it was fast, right?
Yeah, so in between those two, I think, yeah, I can't decide. The Durango probably is a keeper
just to stay in good. Okay, well, that's fair. You want to keep your marriage happy. So we're
going to crush the Typhoon, which I'll crush it for you since you're having trouble doing it. So
sounds good. But yeah, no, that's actually a great modern car. It's also it's got
incredible touring capabilities. We tow these guys here in the back,
you know, 5600 pounds. It's got it can go up to I think 9500 pounds or something like that,
the Durango and still be so fast. It's yeah, it's amazing. I love it. Yeah. Oh, that's good to
know. Yeah, you first hand experience. So that's good. Well, thank you so much for being on the
collector car podcast. I really appreciate you joining us. Very good speaking with you. And
please, yeah, let's come come come visit us in here in Austin, Texas.
About this episode
Daniel van Doveren of Vigilante 4x4 discusses transforming classic Jeep Wagoneers, Cherokees, and other vintage trucks into modern restomods that retain their original look but drive with contemporary reliability and performance. Using advanced 3D scanning and CAD design, they build new chassis and suspension systems to handle powerful Mopar Hemi engines, including Hellcat variants. The business evolved from traditional restorations to fully re-engineered vehicles, offering tiered pricing and customization while preserving the iconic aesthetic and soul of these classic SUVs. Daniel also touches on the importance of brand reputation and quality in the growing restomod market.
What happens when vintage American steel meets modern performance engineering?
This week on The Collector Car Podcast, I sit down with Daniel van Doveren of Vigilante 4x4 to talk about the booming world of high-end Jeep restomods. Vigilante has quietly become one of the most respected names in the space, transforming classic Willys and early Jeep models into fully reengineered machines with modern drivetrains, refined interiors, and show-stopping craftsmanship.
Daniel shares how Vigilante 4x4 approaches restoration versus reinvention, what collectors are really looking for in today's vintage 4x4 market, and why properly executed restomods are earning serious respect alongside traditional concours restorations.
We also dive into:
The rising demand for classic SUVs and 4x4s
What separates a high-quality restomod from a quick build
The economics behind six-figure custom Jeeps
Why early utility vehicles are becoming lifestyle statements
If you've ever wondered whether restomods belong in serious collections β this episode may change your perspective.
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Join RM Sotheby's Car Specialist Greg Stanley as he brings over 25 years of experience and market insight to the world of collector cars. Each week, Greg dives into trends, interviews industry leaders, and shares practical expertise β with a little fun along the way.
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