The jeep came with high expectations when the government approached American automakers about creating a vehicle for the war. This land rover had to carry three people, be four-wheel drive, have a fold-down windshield, could carry 660 lbs., have an engine capable of at least 85 ft.-lbs of torque, weigh no more than 1,300 lbs when empty, and have a wheelbase of 75″. That was a tall order, and only three of the 135 companies the government approached gave it a shot.
Ultimately, while all three companies, Willys-Overland Motors, Ford Motor Company, and American Bantam Car Company, made a version of the Jeep, the Army eventually required standardization. By mid-1941, the familiar design known as the Willys MB emerged. In terms of versatility, there wasn’t much this Jeep couldn’t do. The military used the Jeep for transportation, but it could also house Browning .30 caliber and .50 caliber machine guns, function as an ambulance, cargo transport, anti-aircraft defense, radio car, trench mortar unit — really anything the Army needed.
The Jeep’s use in so many functions explains the demand, and with more than 600,000 produced, it became one of the first mass-produced 4×4 vehicles in history. The Jeep continued operation well into the Korean War, though it got some upgrades and updates. By the 1960s, the original Jeep had been transformed into the M151 Jeep, while the initial concept inspired the civilian Jeep model CJ-2A, which entered the market in 1945.
