It also introduced other innovative vehicles, including the 1946 Willys Station Wagon - the first such station wagon to be built completely of steel - and the 1947 Jeep pickup. The production version became the Willys CJ-2A. Willys took the MB and modified it, improving the headlights and seats and giving it a tailgate.
Jeep’s wartime history is well-documented, but the transition to civilian life is less so.Īs World War II began to wind down, Willys executives began thinking about the Jeep’s postwar existence. Future of Wrangler: Here’s what we know about Jeep's next off-road icon.For example, the “T” latches still used to hold down the hood were a Ford innovation, as was the single-piece, stamped slotted grille with round headlights that Jeep also uses as a logo. Even today, remnants of Jeep’s birth by committee exist on the MB’s descendent, the Jeep Wrangler. More than 637,000 Jeeps were built by Willys and Ford during World War II, while Bantam was awarded a contract to build quarter-ton trailers that were pulled behind the MB. A second production contract for the same design later was awarded to Ford to meet demand. The Bantam, now updated from its original design, was the lightest and most fuel-efficient.Īfter conducting rigorous testing in Maryland, the War Department sought final bids and awarded the first production contract to Willys-Overland. The Ford Pygmy had superior craftsmanship, and it featured a flat hood and flat fenders that the War Department judged as useful improvements. The Willys Quad had the most powerful engine - the 60-hp Go Devil four-cylinder, which gave it a significant power advantage. to bid on the reconnaissance vehicle contract, this time using Probst’s design as a guidepost and allowing engineers from the two automakers to inspect and measure the Bantam.Įach automaker crafted a vehicle that was intended to meet the War Department’s specifications - but with varying success.
As a result, it invited Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Co. The War Department, however, had concerns about Bantam’s ability to meet the military’s capacity needs. Designed in 18 hours by Karl Probst, a freelance auto designer from Detroit, the 1,840-pound Bantam exceeded the Army’s expectations during initial testing in September 1940. The first prototype military Jeep was developed by Bantam. Initially, only two poorly financed small-car specialists responded: American Bantam Car Co., of Butler, Pa., and Willys-Overland, of Toledo, Ohio. automakers on an extremely aggressive timetable. It put out requests for proposals to U.S. But some facts are undisputed.Īs World War II began to ravage Europe and Asia, the War Department realized the armed forces needed a small reconnaissance vehicle. Jeep had a complicated birth, and much controversy remains about its origin. Today, Jeep carries Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as the automaker struggles to compete with more powerful, profitable global competitors. One weak corporate owner after another failed, yet Jeep has soldiered on. It forded rivers and traversed lakes, it came ashore on D-Day, and it carried the Allies all the way to Berlin and onto Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima and, eventually, onto the mainland shores of a defeated Japan.īut Jeep’s postwar life has been a decadeslong trail of both rousing successes - and abject failures. The Jeep also served as an ambulance on the battlefield. It towed anti-tank weapons that could be deployed quickly, and it could mount a machine gun for fighting infantry. It could handle nearly any terrain, and when it did get stuck, it was light enough for soldiers to lift free.
On the battlefield, the Jeep was fast, nimble and tough. Its role in helping defeat the Axis powers during World War II is undeniable. But on July 16, 1941, Willys-Overland Motor Co., of Toledo, Ohio, received the first contract to produce the Willys MB for use by the American military.Ī public celebration will follow next month, but this weekend, thousands of Fiat Chrysler workers in Toledo will gather for a private company picnic to commemorate the beginnings of the brand. The birth of Jeep is a complicated story that is subject to many interpretations. Jeep is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the brand this week. Not much that is truly groundbreaking in this world was created by committee.īut in the automotive realm, we have one giant exception, and it is Jeep - a vehicle forged in the crucible of war that grew into one of the world’s most recognized brands, automotive or otherwise.
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