Jeep launched the 1974 Cherokee in response to demand for a sporty, two-door full-size utility vehicle. The Jeep Wagoneer had offered a two-door bodystyle between 1963 and 1967; the new 1974 Jeep Cherokee filled that market niche with zip and style. The '74 Jeep Cherokee is one of the most significant ancestors of the sport utility vehicle, the gas-hungry innovation that would dominate the US market in the late 1990s through the first few years of the 21st century. Like later SUVs, the '74 Cherokee was marketed with an accent on rugged off-road capability. Shipped off the line with a 258 cubic inch, 4.2 liter AMC inline-6 engine, the '74 Cherokee could be upgraded to a choice of two powerful V-8 mills: a 360 cubic inch, 5.9 liter or a 401 cubic inch 6.6 liter plant that kicked out a whopping 280 horsepower. These tough customers don't have a lot of luxury inside, but they'll take you off-road with ease. Manual steering makes them hard to wrestle around the road, but thanks to leaf-spring suspension, you'll find them remarkably precise in their response.