Filson outfits the AEV Brute

The AEV Brute, a Jeep Wrangler stretched and turned into a four-door pickup by American Expedition Vehicles, already has so much going for it that we could hardly imagine how it could be improved upon. AEV was already famous for offering a wide variety of off-roading equipment before the debut of the well-received Brute double-cab pickup, a bespoke truck in the spirit of the Jeep Gladiator and the Land Rover Defender 130.

Filson
The Filson version features the 6.4-liter V8 instead of the V6.

In creating the Brute, AEV stretched the wheelbase by 23 inches, created a custom back half of the cab body, and added a 61 by 60 inch cored composite bed. AEV favored the 3.6-liter V6 engine, good for 285 hp, along with a six-speed manual transmission for the project. AEV has also beefed up the suspension, along with adding a whole host of off-roading equipment including a skid plate, off-road lights, a 9.5cti winch by Warn, and 17-inch wheels of AEV's own design shod in BFGoodrich 35 inch Mud-Terrain tires along with other modifications. The end product was a formidable machine that looked ready for use by the forestry service, serious hombres who may own a ranch incorporating buildings from a gold rush ghost town, and any individual who can have an hour-long discussion about the merits of different types of barbed wire.

Filson
Filson has created an interior of its own design.

Enter outdoor goods company Filson, which has been catering to individuals who can have an hour-long discussion about the merits of different types of barbed wire for over a hundred years. Filson had AEV throw in a 6.4-liter V8 instead of the 3.6-liter V6, and added their own materials to the interior, including their own signature leather for the reworked seats, dry finish tin cloth, and a pair of Rugged Twill bags. All the trail equipment available on the top model of the Brute remains, and the Filson edition Brute is finished in a custom forest green paint. $130,000 is the price of entry, and that includes the base vehicle used by AEV for the conversion.

By Jay Ramey