You know Jeeps are fun. You know Jeeps are the coolest looking vehicles around. But did you know these fun facts?
The original design only took two days
The United States government knew its aging fleet of Model T’s was no match for WWII. With US involvement in the war on the horizon, Karl Probst began designing a small, lightweight, three-seat, four-wheel-drive vehicle for a truck company called Bantam on July 17, 1940. Two days later, the entire proposal was ready to go.
Willys and Ford came in later
As a small company, Bantam was unable to produce the number of vehicles needed, so the Army handed the blueprints to Willys and Ford. Ford innovated the “Pygmy” design and four-wheel steering was introduced with the Willys Quad.
Thank Ford for the front
While the Pygmy’s flat front grill is an iconic style today, the design wasn’t for the sake of fashion— it simply made quality production easier.
An MB was awarded a Purple Heart for its role in WWII
Willys MBs were all over Europe during WWII, but one received a Purple Heart for its role in the Pacific area. On August 7, 1942, a Willys MB Jeep rolled onto Guadalcanal’s famous Lunga Beach. During its 18 months on duty, “Old Faithful” served four Marine generals, carried nearly every ranking Marine officer and visiting official on the two battle-torn islands, and survived Operation Watchtower in Guadalcanal, Operation Cherry Blossom in Bougainville, and received two holes in the windshield caused by shrapnel from a battleship shelling the island.
The first public outing of a 4×4 was a big step
Actually, it was a lot of steps. The first time the public saw a 4×4 was when it was driven up the steps of the U.S. Capitol. When a curious audience asked what the vehicle was, the driver said, “It’s a jeep.” Willys-Overland filed a trademark application two years later.
The longest off-road trip was 21,000 miles
In 1978, 14 people took six stock Jeep CJs to the southernmost point of South America. Five months later, the crew finished trekking more than 20,000 miles through some of the world’s harshest terrain and reached the northern reaches of Alaska. Not only was it absolutely badass, “The Expediciones De Las Americas” was the longest off-road trip in history.
Jeep is the most Instagrammed car
A Honda Civic just doesn’t look as good.
“Willies” isn’t the right pronunciation
Before “Jeep,” the vehicle was “Willys,” named after John North Willys. While it is most commonly pronounced “willies,” Willys himself pronounced his last name as “Willis.” When you mention this, Jeep historians and enthusiasts typically become “willy” argumentative.
Ford, Willys, and Bantam then further developed the concept
Bantam didn’t have the capabilities to produce the sheer quantity needed to fight the Nazis, so the Army brought Willys and Ford to the table and handed them the blueprints. Ford had a number of innovations on its “Pygmy” design, while the Willys Quad even featured four-wheel steering.
Today, the Willys MB is considered an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark
You can officially count the Society of Mechanical Engineers as fans.
The name is a mystery
While it’s commonly thought that “jeep” is a truncation of General Purpose vehicle, or GP, that’s likely wrong. Ford’s version was officially named GPW, where G means Government, P refers to the distance between the wheels (80 inches), and W stands for Willys, since the vehicles Ford produced were technically under license from Willys. Alternately, some say it was common lingo to refer to all military prototypes as “jeeps,” and that “peeps” even entered the lexicon briefly. All we know is…maybe?
An interesting theory is that Jeep is named after a cartoon character.
Eugene the Jeep was a character in “Popeye” that was first drawn up a few years prior to the Bantam 4×4.
The famed “CJ” name stands for Civilian Jeep
For the first time, Willys were available to civilians after the war. The Willys Station Wagon was the forerunner to the modern SUV Willys intended to sell its vehicles mostly as utilitarian farm vehicles. As it turns out, farm vehicles can be pretty fun, and almost as soon as the war ended, the Willys Station Wagon hit the streets…and trails.
The Station Wagon’s replacement, the Wagoneer, was the first SUV
When it came time to replace the Station Wagon, the Wagoneer had modern conveniences like an automatic transmission and power steering, kicking off the long route to the luxurious rides dotting the landscape today.
Attempts have been made to copy the orginal Jeep
Land Rover at least had a few innovations on the Series I, but Toyota even used “Jeep” in its advertising until a less-than-friendly call from attorneys convinced it to change to Land Cruiser. Plenty of other companies around the world have made copies under license, including Mitsubishi and Ford.
Jeep’s owners have been all over the map—literally and figuratively
In 1953, Willys-Overland was bought by Kaiser Motors (think Kaiser Permanente—same guy), which was eventually sold to American Motors Company. AMC was then bought by first Renault then Chrysler. Since then Chrysler has been owned (or merged with) by Daimler, a private firm whose investments are overseen by Dan Quayle, the U.S. and Canadian governments, and now Fiat.
“Jeeping” is a sport unto itself
A man named Mark A. Smith organized the first Jeep trek across the Rubicon Trail near Lake Tahoe in 1953. They’ve never stopped since, and today Jeep Jamborees are large enough to warrant Jeep bringing unique concept vehicles to thank the loyal fans.
Jeep Jamboree
In 1959, Jeep introduced a special version just for resorts Depending on the market, it was called the Surrey or the Gala, and it featured a fringe-lined canvas top.
The USPS mail Jeeps led to the Hummer…kinda
In addition to supplying the military with vast quantities of vehicles, Jeep produced the USPS mail trucks for 30 years. To keep up with production, it established a separate facility for government orders. After the AMC takeover, that facility was made into a separate company, AM General, which went on to produce the Hummer.
FACTS
For over 80 years the Jeep® Brand has been indelibly linked to freedom, adventure, authenticity and passion. Our core values are embodied in every Jeep Brand vehicle’s DNA. Throughout our storied history, Jeep Brand vehicle owners have learned that Go Anywhere. Do Anything.® is a way of life, not just a slogan. The Jeep badge stands for more than a brand. In truth, it’s a badge of honor. Explore our legendary lineup, then create your own timeless story.
The Jeep® Brand: 80 years of freedom, adventure, authenticity and passion.
1940s:
Born in the heat of battle, the 4×4 emerged a hero to thousands of Allied soldiers around the world, firmly establishing the Jeep Brand as the undisputed leader in 4×4 technology.
1950s:
The 1950s saw the rise of the recreation vehicle, as well as engineering superiority. Grass-roots enthusiasts helped launch Jeep® Jamborees and took the original freedom machine to new heights in sales thanks to seven unique models.
1960s:
The All-New Jeep® Wagoneer represented unparalleled refinement and innovation. Prestige and individuality ruled the day. The Jeep Brand lineup grew to include 14 models—for work, play, recreation and luxuriously capable transportation.
1970s:
The Jeep® Brand’s 4×4 leadership continues in the 70s with the introduction of the first full-time 4×4 system. The sporty 2-door full-size Cherokee (SJ) sweeps the 4×4 of the Year awards. Six models help elevate sales to all-time highs.
1980s:
The All-New Jeep® Cherokee (XJ) helped revolutionize the 4×4 market. The mighty XJ introduced many industry firsts, including the first compact 4-door SUV, first UniFrame construction, and first full-time 4×4 system with shift-on-the-fly capability.
1990s:
The All-New 1993 Jeep® Grand Cherokee (ZJ) set a new industry benchmark thanks to its unique balance of on- and off-road capability. The super-capable Wrangler (TJ) with its new coil suspension was introduced in 1997. In 1999 the new Grand Cherokee (WJ) was marketed as the most capable SUV ever. Sales soared to 629K units for the decade.
2000s:
The radical 2003 Jeep® Wrangler Rubicon was the most capable vehicle ever produced by the Jeep Brand. A new 4-door Wrangler took the industry by storm. The Compass and Patriot were the first Jeep Brand vehicles to reach into the small cross-utility segment.
2010s:
The Jeep® Brand resonates with consumers around the world as global sales increase to the highest point in over 75-year history with 1.41 million units sold worldwide for 2016. Strategic launches of the All-New Grand Cherokee, Renegade and Compass vehicles.
THE FUTURE:
Redesigned Wrangler and all new 2020 Jeep® Gladiator Truck built at the Toledo Assembly Complex.
