Jeeping isn’t a hashtag or occasional an off-pavement drive. For Zach Harkness, it’s life. Not just on the weekends but every day. Better known as “The Jeep Guy” on YouTube, Harkness and his family have amassed an impressive Jeep collection of all vintages, and they painstakingly restored many of them themselves. Wanting to share their Jeep passion and adventures with other off-road enthusiasts, the family quietly opened the Jeep Guy Museum in the heart of Utah.
Smack-dab in the middle of the Mountain states, Utah is a go-to destination for anyone who loves the great outdoors. Although landlocked, the Beehive State is home to five national parks — the third most of any state. Hiking, climbing, skiing, camping — as long as you’re outside, you’re in heaven. And for off-the-grid junkies, there are more than 80,000 miles of public-use OHV trails. It’s no wonder the Easter Jeep Safari has been an annual Moab pilgrimage for Jeep people since 1967.
Located in Fillmore, the one-time capital of the Utah territory, the Jeep Guy Museum is within three hours of Moab and just a 90-minute drive from Zion and the state capital, Salt Lake City. Or, if you’re the gambling type, it’s within a four-hour reach of Las Vegas. The small town’s proximity to all these spots made it an attractive spot to showcase the family’s off-roaders. Zach’s wife, Kathy, told me via email:
“When we were looking for a place to house the museum and our growing Jeep collection, we came across this big, old building in Fillmore that had a lot of potential, and it felt like it had the right mix of opportunity and adventure. It needed a lot of work, but we saw the vision and spent months renovating it together as a family to turn it into the museum it is today.
Fillmore also made sense because it’s right in the heart of the state, conveniently located along I-15, making it an easy stop for travelers passing through. Surrounded by mountains and the Black Rock Desert, it’s a perfect base for going jeeping and exploring the diverse terrain Utah has to offer.”
About that vehicle collection: The family currently has more than 50 Jeeps, military vehicles, and trailers from 1941 to 2023. The museum, which rotates through the vehicles, offers an assortment that includes “a 1941 MB all the way to modern and highly modified 392 Wrangler and Gladiator.” But don’t expect insane builds or mismatched mods at the Jeep Guy Museum. These vehicles are generally returned to as close to their original spec as possible, and, yes, all are drivable. Per Kathy:
“While some Jeeps were already running when we got them, Zach still put in a lot of work to improve and restore them as close to their original condition as possible. He’s also worked on many that weren’t operational at first, getting them running and driving smoothly and restoring them as well.
Zach regularly maintains all the Jeeps to keep them in great shape. We take pride in keeping them drivable, taking them out on and off-road, and sharing photos and videos so people can see them in action and not just as display pieces.”
With that many vehicles, is there a family favorite? Zach provided a very dad-like answer: “All of them!” But when pushed, he did decide on a few:
“It’s hard, but I’d say the top 3 would be the Scrambler, Stretch, and Gobi because I can just take them out, hit the trails, and have fun.”
More specifically, Zach is referring to a 1982 CJ-8 Scrambler, a 2015 Wrangler (“Stretch”), and a 2020 Gladiator (“Gobi”). When considering how much time is given to restoring and maintaining these vehicles, it’s no surprise they’re given names.
Kathy is also a fan of the Scrambler, which was in awful shape when the family got hold of it. But she also leans toward design as much as she does dirt-ready eagerness, adding the Jeepster Commando to her list of faves. Both, she says, have striking looks as well as off-road capabilities to match. The kids don’t fall far from the tree, either, as the Jeepster appears to receive a majority vote. Outside of that, though, son ZJ and daughter Mia offer up their individual interests:
ZJ: “My favorites would be the Honcho because it’s super duper nice, and then Gobi because it’s the second most capable Jeep we’ve ever built. And the Jeepster because it’s an awesome road trip vehicle and I feel super fancy driving it!”
Mia: “My favorite jeeps are probably the Jeepster because I really like the design and overall look, and the Scrambler because it’s part of my childhood — we’ve had it since I was little. And of course, my own Jeep, “Luna,” is a favorite too… because it’s mine!”
[Editor’s Note: Holy crap did they name their son after the first-gen Jeep Grand Cherokee “ZJ”?! Maybe it’s Zach Jr. But come on; Jeep people calling someone ZJ? It must have been a consideration! -DT].
Luna, by the way, is a 1948 Willys CJ-2A, a vehicle Mia graduated to once she was old enough. Much of Mia’s automotive knowledge, from driving to tinkering, she learned with Mia. According to Kathy:
Mia has her own flat fender Jeep that she earned herself after she outgrew her mini Jeep. She learned to drive and work on it, gaining hands-on experience along the way, and we also documented it in a YouTube mini-series called Mondays with Mia.
With such an exhaustive collection already, the family can’t wait to add more. When I asked about their want-to-haves, it was just as long as their list of favorites! Shared Kathy:
We’re always on the lookout to rescue Jeeps we don’t have yet. There are still several on our wishlist that we’d love to add to the collection, like a Comanche, WJ, XJ, M-677, FJ6, a GPA (the amphibious Jeep), a MUTT (especially an M151A2), and a Philippine jeepney.
Tracking them down in the condition we’re looking for can be tough, but it’s part of the fun. We’re always excited to expand the collection and aim to preserve at least one of every Jeep ever made, whenever the right one comes along.
Stop the tape. Rewind. The jeepney is my personal favorite. Social media tells me a handful of these modified military Jeeps are floating around the U.S., but I have yet to see one in person. Outside of the Philippines, anyway. I remember spending muggy monsoon-threatening months in my parents’ homeland, always being chauffeured around in the family jeepney by my cousin David. Bringing a jeepney to the Jeep Guy Museum is a point of pride for Kathy:
Since the jeepney traces its roots back to the American Willys Jeep used during World War II, we’re hoping to acquire an original jeepney from that era, as well as the more familiar colorful model like those made by Sarao Motors — the renowned manufacturer based in Las Piñas, where I also grew up. Adding jeepneys to our museum would be a wonderful way to celebrate this unique piece of Filipino culture and history, which is deeply connected to the legacy of Jeep.
I absolutely loved that thing, and my cousin (RIP, manong). As such, you’ll get zero complaints from me about this kind of hoarding, or from Jeep aficionados worldwide. Somebody’s gotta do it, put together an ensemble of every iteration of Jeeps. Because let’s face it, that somebody isn’t going to be Stellantis.
Corporate-Backed Jeep Museum Still Not In The Cards
Once upon a time, there was talk about a proper Jeep museum to be built in a proper place: Toledo, Ohio. In 2019, Autopian EIC David Tracy wrote about The Jeep Experience during a former editorial life. Spearheaded by a non-profit group (again, not the Jeep brand or anyone from Stellantis HQ in Auburn Hills, Michigan), the estimated $40 million facility was supposed to open in 2022. Quoting the Toledo Blade at the time:
Members of a non-profit working group announced Tuesday intentions to open the facility, which will be called The Jeep Experience, in 2022. A location for the museum, a 56,000 square-foot building that will have “interactive exhibits,” has been chosen but has not yet been announced to the public while the group works to finalize a contract. The building will be in metropolitan Toledo.
But the promising project, fully supported by the city, never happened. Why? You’ll have to ask Auburn Hills. Last year, the Toledo Jeep Fest brought in a record-breaking 78,000-plus attendees from across the globe. That’s about a third of the city’s total population, and for a weekend event.
Suffice it to say, traveling to Toledo would not be a hard ask for a Jeeper. Following the success of the event, the topic of a museum in the city of Jeep’s birth unsurprisingly came up again. Reported WTOL11:
“I don’t think there’s anybody in this city who would not commit to going all in on a Jeep museum here,” said Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken.
They announced the project five years ago, hoping to have it built by 2022. But, it didn’t go as planned and Gerken said the problem is due to the ownership of the Jeep changing over the years.
To its credit, Stellantis was a first-time sponsor of Jeep Fest last year, and the Jeep brand appears under this year’s list. Neither time was it a title sponsor, though. Stellantis has been struggling in the sales department, so securing sponsorship monies is likely not a priority.
That being said, the Jeep brand remains the auto group’s best-selling marque. Also, the brand has been around for 80 years. How does Jeep not already have a museum?
In the U.S., the city of Dearborn, Michigan, is practically a Ford heritage site, and the Chevy Corvette has a standalone museum in its manufacturing home of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Even non-American brands have museums here. Heck, Honda has two: its special collection in California and a heritage center in Ohio. The Toyota Experience Center in Plano, Texas, replaced the former Southern California HQ museum, but it isn’t open to the public.
Unlike the Chrysler museum that came, went, came back, and left again for good, there is more sustained interest and effort toward establishing a Jeep experience/event space/center/something. But as Lucas County Commissioner Gerken told WTOL11 last year, any plans would have to be brand-backed:
“The struggle has always been getting the corporate sponsorship on the other side,” he said, adding that it’s the key component to building the museum. “We may have the city where the Jeep is built, but right now, Stellantis owns the brands, owns the models, owns all the historical cars, owns the concepts and they would have to be at the table with us.”
[Ed Note: A few years ago I visited a nice Jeep collection outside of Atlanta curated by aftermarket parts supplier OMIX-ADA. In fact, I visited it! I’m curious what’s going on with that collection these days… DT]
A Shared Experience
Back in Fillmore, for Zach, Kathy, ZJ, and Mia, they opened the Jeep Guy Museum last year not only to preserve history but also to foster a community of ownership, off-roading, and opportunity. Beyond the displays and memorabilia, the family also hosts ride-along events and group trail rides.
Kathy told me these gatherings are small by design, about 5 to 15 vehicles, so that the group can cover more ground and have a more memorable experience. It’s not just a Jeep thing either, she said, but added that the focus was more toward vintage off-roaders.
As for what they hope to achieve with the Jeep Guy Museum? You’ll find no gatekeeping here. Although the family business started as a small garage back in 2021, the passion has been instilled since birth. And we can thank Zach’s dad. Wrote Kathy:
He grew up jeeping with his dad in a 1983 CJ-7 and spent his teenage years racing motocross and exploring Utah’s backcountry in various Jeeps. At 16, he bought his first Jeep, a 1988 YJ, which really ignited his lifelong passion for wheeling, building, and preserving Jeeps.
We hope the museum inspires visitors to embrace that same spirit of exploration and discovery, while also appreciating the heritage and legacy of these iconic vehicles. Each jeep has its own unique story and purpose, and our goal is to keep those stories alive — not just for today, but also for future generations to learn from and enjoy. Sharing our Jeep collection helps support our mission to find, rescue, restore, and preserve these vehicles.
Because the family also operates a Jeep shop for custom builds and services, the Jeep Guy Museum hours are currently limited. Last year, the museum was open from Thursday through Sunday, but the shop is busier than ever. Kathy told me a second location is in the works.
If you’re ever passing through the Mountain West, with such a diverse selection of vehicles, the Jeep Guy Museum is well worth a detour, even if you’re not a Jeeper. Note that while the collection remains open to the public, for now, it is on a Saturday-only schedule. Be sure to check the schedule page before you visit, as dates and times are subject to change.
Couldn’t think of a better state for a Jeep Museum. While the Midwest (and nearby areas) represents Jeeps’ past, the west represents it’s ideal use case and future.
There is currently a Jeepny for sale in Houston. Just, ya know, if you need any new toys
Was… guess it already sold
So this is all awesome stuff, and I know decals are tricky, but… that poor hood graphic says SCR AMBL ER and I’ll never not notice it.
I wish I had the space, time, money, time, know-how, and time to do something like this. That would be awesome!
They couldn’t keep the Chrysler Museum open in Auburn Hills, so I highly doubt that Stellantis would fund a Jeep museum.
I think far more people are interested in visiting a Jeep museum than a Chrysler museum.