Jeep History

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I know there are many Jeep Lovers on this site who often love to have some info about Jeeps. Here is the good news for them. I am just going to put here the history of the Jeeps since its first Pilot Model “ Bantam 1940”.

I will be posting 1 by 1.

1940 Bantam Pilot Model:



Using the term that has become generic in the English language, this is the undisputed first "jeep." Built by the American Bantam Car Company of Butler, Pennsylvania, it was delivered to Camp Holabird, Maryland, on September 23, 1940.

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1940 Bantam BRC-60 (MarkII):



The Bantam BRC-60 (or Mark II) was the first revision of the Bantam pilot model. These hand-built models were part of the first 1/4-ton contract for 70 vehicles (1 pilot model + 69 additional after acceptance of the pilot model.

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1940 Willys Quad:



Willys built five Quads, according to company records, and delivered two (one with four-wheel steering) for the Army's contract competition in 1940. Its 60hp "Go-Devil" engine blew the doors off Bantam and Ford (the other two competitors) and won the contract.

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1940 Ford Pygmy:



The Pygmy was one of two vehicles built by Ford for the Army contract race in 1940, and it was accepted for testing alongside the Bantam and Willys units. The Pygmy's overall layout, including the squared-off hood, headlights on the grille, and dog-legged windshield pivots, was highly praised and became the pattern for the later Willys MB. But like the Bantam, the Pygmy fell victom to the Quad's more powerful engine.

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1940 Budd Ford:



This Ford prototype had a body built by the Budd Corporation, which stayed closer in design to the Bantam pilot model, while the Ford engineers created a new design for the Pygmy. Perhaps Ford wanted this vehicle as a fall-back if the Army rejected its new design.

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1941 Ford GP:



A direct descendant of the Pygmy, the Ford GP was an updated model produced under an initial contract for 1,500 vehicles each from Ford, Willys and Bantam.

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1941 Willys MA:



Willys knew that the Army would want an improved model and started development of the MA even as the Quad was being tested. In the three-way deal, 1,500 MA's were ordered. The MA was definitley an evolutionary vehicle. Very much different than the later MB, the MA featured a column shift and a host of other detail changes that put it between the Quad and the MB. The basic drivetrain was still the Warner Gear and Spicer components of the Quad, Ford and Bantam.

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1941 Bantam BRC-40:



The BRC-40 was the final evolution of the Bantam design. The Army initially contracted for 1,500 units, but 2,605 were eventually assembled. Bantam ceased motor vehicle production after the last was built in December of 1941.

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1942 Willys MB Slat-Grille:



The first 25,808 Willys MBs used a welded steel grille very similar to the Ford GP design, and there were a host of other differences from the later Willys. These early MBs had "Willys" embossed in the back panel. In production, the slat-grilles were given running changes until they finally evolved into the standard stamped-grille MB we know and love. Around 200 slat-grilles are estimated to survive today.

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1942-1945 Willys MB:



The hero of World War II. Willys produced 335,531 units, and they served in every theater of war, in every conceivable role, and with every Allied army. They were also given modifications including longer wheelbases, 6x6 drivetrains, skis, armor plating, railway wheels, and weapons mounts of various types.

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1942-1945 Ford GPW:



As Ford built the last of its GP units, it landed a contract to build jeeps to the Willys pattern. Ford designated these vehicles GPW (Government, 80-inch wheelbase, Willys).

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1942-1943 Ford GPA Amphibious:



As with the contract for the GPW, Ford received a contract to manufacture the amphibious GPA principally in recognition of the company's large production capacity.

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1944 MLW-2:

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1944 MLW-2:



In late 1943, the U.S. Army contracted with Willys-Overland to build a 1/2-ton jeep providing greater payload and mobility over the swampy jungle terrain of the Southwest Pacific.

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1944 CJ-1:



The civilian Jeep project began in 1944 when Willys-Overland had some resources to spare beyond war-oriented production. Blueprints had been drawn up by February 1944 and a pilot model, dubbed the CJ-1, was up and running by May. It wore a cast-bronze hood emblem that said "AGRIJEEP." It's clear the CJ-1 was an MB pulled off the line and modified with a tailgate, drawbar, civilian-type top, a spare tire mounted on the passenger side, and lower gearing in the axles and transfer case.

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1944-1945 CJ-2:



The body, chassis and much of the drivetrain of the CJ-2 were built especially for these units, even though many MB parts were also utilized, including the front grille. The CJ-2's, perhaps 45 in total, were built in two distinct series: pilot models and standardized preproduction models.

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1945-1949 CJ-2A:



The first of the production CJs (Civilian Jeeps), 214,202 CJ-2As were produced. The earliest versions used a column shift, until early 1946. The earliest units also used the MB's full-floating rear axle and had military tool notches in the body. Unlike the MBs, the CJs used a tailgate and had "Willys" embossed on the hood sides and windshield frame. The beefier T-90 gearbox replaced the old T-84.

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1949-1953 CJ-3A:



This was the last of the "low-hood" flat-fendered CJs. Only a few changes, mostly visual, marked the CJ-3A from the 2A. The windshield is a one-piece design and has a vent just below it. In its four-year run, 131,843 CJ-3As were manufactured. The 3A got an axle upgrade from a Spicer 41-2 to a Spicer 44-2.

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1950 CJ-V35:



The CJ-V35, or "Truck V35/U" as it was referred to by the U.S. Navy, was perhaps the ultimate U.S. Marine Corps Jeep. It could be driven underwater, and was apparently intended to carry forward observers to direct naval gunfire during amphibious landings.

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1950-1955 M38 (MC):



A direct knockoff of the CJ-3A, the M38 was upgraded for GI use by a stronger frame and suspension, a 24-volt electrical system, and a multitude of military accoutrements. These rigs saw combat in Korea, but production was low at 61,423 units from 1950-52. An export version was built from 1953 to 1955 for foreign military forces. The headlight guards, blackout lights, battery panel on the cowl and tool notches on the body (passenger side) are the way to ID them. Some were equipped with Ramsey winches.