The Original Jeep: Where it All Began

It seems like you can’t turn a corner without seeing used Jeep Wranglers for sale now and days. Or sitting in someones yard, proudly weathered and showing off scars from its many adventures. The Jeep is a vehicle that is steeped in a tradition of getting dirty, and has a rich history behind its inception. Without the original Willys MB, we wouldn’t have the thousands of Jeep models that we do today.

So let’s tip our hats to Willys-Overland, the company that put Jeep on the map, and one of three automobile companies that answered the call.

Production

In 1940, things became urgent for the U.S. Army. The Axis powers were moving across Europe, gaining ground and scoring victory after victory. They sent out a call for a hero, and a hero answered, but not one you would expect. The Army put out a call to over 130 automobile companies, asking for a running prototype of a lightweight all terrain vehicle in only 49 days.

Most automobile companies denied the request, deeming it impossible to complete a prototype in such a short time. The two that answered were The Bantam Car Company and Willys-Overland. Willys ended up needing more time to work on their prototype, while Bantam ended up delivering a complete prototype by September 21st.

Long story short; the Bantam prototype ended up passing the rigorous testing from the Army and was approved by the military. Willys and Ford both submitted prototypes that were an upgrade on Bantam’s design. Willys submitted the Model A and ford submitted the Pygmy. When Bantam became financially unstable, the military was forced to pick one of the other models submitted. In 1941, the military finally decided to go with the Willy design, and it was dubbed the MB (Model B).

Willys needed to produce a massive amount of their 4×4 MB over a short period of time. They granted the government a non-exclusive license to allow another company to manufacture the vehicles using the specs from Willy, this company was Ford.

Willy and Ford filled more than 700,000 units in World War II, over 330,000 of those coming from Willy-Overland.

A Revolution in Warfare

This vehicle created a revolution in the use of motor vehicles by the U.S. Army, rendering horses and motorcycles obsolete upon its release. The MB allowed the Army to storm the Axis front lines with a rugged and dependable vehicle. General C. Marshall, US Army Chief of Staff during World War II called the 4×4 MB “America’s greatest contribution to modern warfare.” It was such an important contribution to the war that most soldiers ended up growing emotionally attached to the MB, second only to their rifle.

The MB was amazingly versatile. It could be equipped with machine guns for combat, modified for snow plowing, desert patrol, telephone cable lying, saw milling, fire-fighting water pumps, field ambulances, tractors, and could even run on railway tracks with suitable wheels. Among its versatile traits, it was also a great daily driver. They were rugged and versatile work vehicles prized by farmers for their 4×4 capabilities, and the reputation they earned in the war helped market them to civilians who were inspired by the vehicles accomplishments.

Immortalized

No one is sure how these vehicles came to be called “Jeep,” there are numerous theories and we know it originated back when they were first produced. Regardless, in 1950 Willys obtained a U.S. Trademark Registration for the Jeep name. The ownership of Jeep has passed to 3 different corporations since 1950, the most recent being Chrysler.

Jeep has never forgotten its roots in the war, and what it was able to contribute has immortalized the brand in US history.