When people talk about Jeeps, the images that come to mind are tough terrain, mud, and big tires. But there are some people like Martin Blair who see the need to buck that stereotype and make a Jeep that runs eights in the quarter-mile. Blair’s XJ Jeep is a well-built and unique race SUV that turns heads each pass down the track.

Blair started his 1986 Cherokee build back in 2008 when a customer brought the Jeep in for a head light replacement. After getting the price for the repairs the customer decided it was too much and offered to sell the Jeep to Blair for $250, and Blair took the customer up on the offer. With a lot of hard work in the shop, Blair got the Jeep on the track and started cracking off 10-second passes early on.

To motivate the Jeep deep into the eight-second zone, some serious power needs to be on tap beneath the loud pedal, and Blair dialed that up in a big way. Under the hood is a 505-inch Chrysler mega block topped off with a pair of Indy Cylinder heads. The engine uses flat top pistons that help pump the compression up to a healthy 13:1, and a .770-inch lift custom cam finishes off the top end.

The power adder of choice is a two-stage nitrous system with the first stage being a fogger 300-horse shot at hit and plate system dose of 150 horsepower when the wheels come down and the Jeep settles. Shifting duties are handled by an ATI Powerglide — a choice that was made after several Torque Flight transmissions failed under the raw power of the Jeep. With the nitrous turned it’s been as quick as 8.44 at 162, weighing 3,125 pounds. Check out the video from BigKleib34 that shows just how hard this big Jeep leaves.