SHOP Profile – Wholesale Only Delivers a Jaw-Dropping 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Build

May 11, 2018May 9, 2018 Bruce Lindermann 0 Comments 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Baja Design, BDS Suspension, build, Fab Fours, GRID Wheels, Katzkin, Mattracks, Mickey Thompson, Rhino-Rack, Rigid Industries, Todd Bugenske, Wholesale Only

First impressions are everything, so you want yours to last. When a ride stops someone dead in their tracks, you know the builder did something right. And that’s exactly what happened when some Keystone salesmen stopped in to see Todd Bugenske’s 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon at Wholesale Only in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

First Things First

Wholesale Only is a carrier trucking company involved in the buying and selling of cars and trucks. While based in the small vacation destination of Frankenmuth, also known as “Little Bavaria” for its German heritage, Wholesale Only has a thumbprint that spans the entire country. Bugenske has been leading the business since 1980 and works alongside his sons. Eventually, he plans to pass the torch onto them.

With nearly 40 years of experience, Bugenske is more than just an expert—he’s a master of the trade. And he’s been putting together some pretty serious builds his whole life. Time and time again, Bugenske has proven himself by gaining the attention of serious players. But, we’ll talk more on that later. First, let’s get to the breakdown of this magnificent JK.

The Basics

The base platform is a 4-door 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. A great vehicle to start with, as the base model already has a lot of desirable features for the off-road community. Inside, Bugenske outfitted the seats with Katzkin red leather seat covers to accent the attention-grabbing, custom exterior paint scheme. Appropriately, the vehicle has been fitted with Fab Fours bumpers, fender flares, rocker panel accents, and the cleverly designed GRUMPER—a grille and winch combo bumper. As for the lift, Bugenske fitted the rig with a 3″ BDS lift with coil overs and a Rhino roof rack. The auxiliary lighting units are those of Rigid Industries and Baja Design, and give off a fiery glow sure to turn heads. This beast is even known to sport Mattracks during those tough Michigan winters. Whew, talk about first impressions.

A Ride Fit for a Michigander

“It’s a lot of fun but you need snow. You can’t turn without snow,” commented Bugenske on his Jeep when fitted with the tracks. The whole package is beautiful, but with the rubber tracks this ride really stands out. After all, it was in this form when it knocked Keystone’s reps’ jaws to the floor. When asked about the installation process, Bugenske responded that it actually only took a couple of hours. There were no major adjustments or modifications that had to be made since the Mattracks systems are designed to install right onto the intended vehicle, even at stock ride height.

While seeing a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon cruising down Main Street with Mattracks is sure to garner some attention, Bugenske’s build shines even without them. For the warm weather, he outfitted the rig with GRID radiant wheels wrapped with 36” Mickey Thompson MTZ’s. We asked if the build often gets the same reaction that it did from Keystone. Bugenske told us, “Oh yeah! There’s quite a lot of pictures taken of it.”

Take a Number

So, what fueled this build? Well, even though Bugenske is in the business of buying and selling cars nationwide, this was a personal vehicle. To build something like this, just for the fun of it, says a lot about the man and his business. “It’s something I wanted to do,” shared Bugenske. “We put a lot of heart in it.” When you combine that heart full of genuine enthusiasm and passion with nearly four decades of automotive skill, it’s no wonder Bugenske’s builds attract attention. And they’ve gained the notice of some pretty big names.

Referencing another Jeep build Bugenske and his family did, he said, “I had one last year, that I built similar to it. I just learned that the President of Fox Shocks bought it recently.” What can we say? These guys know what they’re doing. They also did a build for Keystone for SEMA a few years back, a gorgeous GMC Denali with every aggressive off-road styling feature the heart could desire. The truck had six or seven flat screen TVs built into the bed, sending the whole package over the top.

That’s not all though, as Bugenske has friends at Ford Performance who’ve been very impressed by the work he and his family have done over the years. So impressed, they requested that Wholesale Only put together a Ranger for them. Unfortunately, they had to turn down the work due to a busy schedule. (Which tells you something about the demand for their work!) We have no doubt that Bugenske and his clan will find many more opportunities along their journey. Especially if they keep putting together knockouts like this 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon build.