Deep Jeep History: The Journey of a Small Modification Shop to Becoming an Automotive Industry Giant

      Jeep

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      Bestop is primarily recognized for producing soft tops for Jeeps, a craft they have honed since the 1950s. They stand out in the automotive industry as one of the few companies that functions both as a mainstream aftermarket accessory brand and a major OEM supplier. I find this quite intriguing, and I’m pleased to share that two representatives from Bestop agreed to give me an oral history of the company. Now, get ready to learn some interesting insights.

      Bestop was founded in 1954 by Tom Bradley (not to be confused with the namesake of the LAX terminal), who began making canvas roofs for Jeep CJs in Colorado. The company has expanded from a seven-person operation based in a shuttered schoolhouse to over 500 employees now, with hundreds working in assembly plants and a corporate office near Detroit. Over the past seventy years, Bestop has changed ownership several times and is currently under private equity control, like many other firms today. It now serves as a key member of a small corporate consortium that includes other prominent aftermarket brands such as Baja Designs (known for off-road lights), PRP Seats (durable seats for off-roading), and Softopper (canvas truck bed caps).

      However, the corporate structure wasn’t the main topic during my conversation with Jake Taylor (Marketing Lead) and Rick Troeger (Senior Program Manager and Engineer) from Bestop. I was curious about how this American aftermarket company managed to break into the OEM market. This question lingered in my mind every time I came across Bestop in Jeep catalogs.

      The YJ Wrangler marked a significant shift in automotive culture. While Jeeps had traditionally been marketed as vehicles for adventure, in the ’80s, the Wrangler was positioned as sufficiently refined for city living as well. An ad from 1987 is among my favorite examples of Jeep marketing; it illustrates the same core message found in today’s Jeep advertisements. For Bestop, it signified a new chapter—now they needed to appeal to a clientele that was more concerned about road noise.

      Interestingly, Bestop’s involvement with OEMs extends far beyond just Jeep. However, it was the YJ Wrangler, characterized by its square headlights and produced in the ’80s and ’90s, that gave Bestop a major opportunity. By the time of the YJ, Bestop was already a well-known supplier of soft tops, but Jeep commissioned them to provide not just fabric but the entire framework (including frames and latches) for the first Wrangler’s soft top.

      Troeger recalled, “During that period, as an aftermarket supplier in the automotive space, Bestop was introduced to Jeep,” explaining that they began manufacturing and shipping soft tops directly to the assembly plant in Brampton, Canada, where the original YJ was produced. They handled “most of the cutting and sewing, as well as a significant portion of the hard goods, including the metal frames used to attach the soft top to the vehicle.” This soft top contract for the YJ marked Bestop’s first foray as a tier-one supplier in the OEM sector.

      While still producing soft tops for the aftermarket, their evolution to OEM supplier significantly elevated Bestop’s status and influence in the automotive world. “They provided us with a vehicle that has an open area and challenged Bestop to create a fold-down soft top. We designed it, crafted it, manufactured it, and delivered it to the assembly plant," Troeger explained. The manual folding tops from the YJ through the TJ, JK, and JL body styles were entirely designed by Bestop.

      One of Bestop’s noteworthy contributions to Jeep history occurred during this period when they designed and manufactured the roof for the well-regarded “LJ.”

      This TJ may look a bit unusual; it’s the long-wheelbase Wrangler Unlimited, affectionately referred to as “LJ” by enthusiasts. Bestop labeled it as “TJ Derivative” during the development process. The 2004-2006 Wrangler Unlimited is still viewed as a remarkable platform due to its unique specifications. Before “Unlimited” became synonymous with the four-door Wrangler model in 2007, it was associated with this extended version. A Jeep enthusiast, David Tracy, once described it as “the ideal Wrangler,” combining the classic open-top design of older Jeeps with the enhanced stability of a longer wheelbase akin to an XJ Cherokee.

      During this development phase, Bestop's “Saturday Morning Skunkworks,” as referred to by their team, played a crucial role in bringing the “Long Jeep” into existence.

      When the chance to create a top for the extended wheelbase emerged, the Bestop team relied on their enthusiast roots rather than strict corporate protocols. Troeger and Taylor shared that Bestop needed to “get creative with the tooling”