You don't have to be a specialist in automotive history to think that the creation of Jeep will somehow be connected to the US military. In the first half of the twentieth century, the US military was the strongest and most technically equipped military in the world. It also demonstrated its power with great success in the Second World War. It was this that was the impetus for the creation of the now world-famous Jeep brand.
In mid-1939, the leadership of the US Army decided that it was necessary to replace the underperforming motorcycles. Instead of them, a light reconnaissance car was supposed to come in, which would not have a problem with different types of surfaces. They approached a total of 135 manufacturers. Of course, the car had to meet certain criteria. Only three manufacturers were able to design and build a car as envisioned by the US military:
Quad model from Willys-Overland,
GP – better known as Pygmy from the Ford workshop,
and "good old No. 1" by Bantam.
The competition was fierce. Obtaining such a contract would financially secure the manufacturer for several years. In 1941, the manufacturers made an agreement with the army. Each of them was to produce 1,500 units, which were subsequently sent to the field, mainly to Britain and Russia. Both Ford and Willys soon came up with their own models . In the end, the decisive criterion for the choice was the price, and here the Willys (future Jeep) had the lowest – it cost $739 at the time. More than 300,000 cars were delivered to the army during the war. Since the company was unable to produce the required quantity, Ford delivered over 200,000 cars under license under the name GPW (General Purposes Willys) . The Jeep accomplished its mission in World War II with flying colours, and legend has it that the Jeep was the car that won the war for the Americans.
Jeep GPW
The legend says nothing about how the name Jeep came about. Probably the most likely version is the one that claims that the origin of the name lies in the abbreviation GP . Army vehicles were designated by this. It means General Purposes . The second possibility for the origin of the name Jeep is offered by the then very popular American comic Pepe Námořník. A small yellow monkey-dog named Eugene the Jeep, called only Jeep, could travel through dimensions. Jeep solved every problem that Pepek Námořník was not enough for, anything, anywhere, anytime. Here is a parallel with the American army car – like every American hero, he solved "anything, anywhere, anytime ".
In addition to the first type of the future Jeep, the improved Willys MA (1940-41) and Willys MB (1941-45) raced around the battlefield later. These types were used for virtually any purpose – carrying high-ranking officers, presidents, heavy weapons, supplies, the wounded, being deployed as vehicles to provide radio communications. Such a girl for everything.
Willys did not limit itself to the United States market. All-terrain vehicles were exported to Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand during the war. After the war, they were also used in the reconstruction of post-war Europe. Production for military purposes continued even during the Cold War, but in addition, the popularity of models intended for the civilian market was growing.
Already during the war, the management of the Willys-Overland company realized that a universal off-road vehicle could also be successful in the ordinary consumer market. The company emphasized variability during the promotion and used the popularity of the future Jeep as a war hero. In 1945, the first civilian type was produced under the name CJ-2A (CJ – Civilian Jeep) .
It was actually the first type to officially bear the Jeep name, although the brand was only registered in 1950. The CJ-2A model was not fundamentally different from the wartime MA and MB. Arguably the main difference was the body color – it wasn't military green. The civilian line of Jeeps became the forerunners for today's Wrangler and Cherokee models.
The year 1953 was a turning point in two ways. The Jeep brand was sold to Henry J. Kaiser and became part of the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation. In the 16 years that the Jeep brand belonged to the Kaiser family, production was expanded to 30 countries around the world, with Jeeps serving the military and civilian population in more than 150 countries. In the same year, the new Jeep CJ-3B was put on sale, which was significantly different from its wartime predecessors, mainly in terms of performance. Compared to the old one, the new engine enabled a quarter higher speed at the same rpm. It was produced for fifteen years and more than 150,000 units were put into circulation.
Photo by Louise Wolff, wikipedia.org
However, in 1955 the CJ-3B was eclipsed by the popular CJ-5 . At the height of the CJ-5's popularity in the early 1970s, the Jeep brand changed hands and became part of the American Motors Coroporation (AMC) . The first step of the new owner was the separation of production for civil and military purposes. It turned out to be the right choice, as Jeep started to become more of a family vehicle than an off-roader, and this challenge had to be responded to.
Jeep CJ – 5
After the war, the Jeep brand entered the commercial and family car market . Designers invented the Station Wagon model. It was produced as a family car or a so-called Delivery Wagon – i.e. as a utility model. It was the first mass-produced station wagon with an all-metal body. At the time of the rapid development of the American economy, there was a huge interest in small commercial vehicles. In 1962, the Jeep Wagoneer followed, a luxury version of the family car with enough space to carry a smaller load.
Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Photo by Tennen-Gas, wikipedia.org
The CJ-5 type was produced for an incredible 30 years. It was not withdrawn from production until 1983, having been sidelined by its junior counterpart, the Jeep CJ-7 .
He wasn't immortal either – history repeated itself when the Jeep Wrangler came to market.
The 1980s were significant for the brand. The celebrations of 35 years of production culminated in the presentation of 2 legendary types. AMC commissioned a market survey in 1983. Based on it, she invested a huge fortune (250 million USD!) in the development of a new car. And it was worth it. In 1983, the new Cherokee and Wagoneer models (predecessors to the Grand Cherokee) were introduced, and positive reviews began to pour in. The Cherokee was a revolutionary car at the time and rightfully won the 1984 USA "4-wheeler" award, it simply had no competition on the market.
The market for 4-wheel drive cars was developing rapidly. However, the tradition of the army all-terrain vehicle still remained the basis. But customers lacked the features of a typical passenger car. AMC had the market research done again and voila, there was the Wrangler. The Wrangler model was based on the previous CJ series, nicknamed TJ out of nostalgia for this series. It provided an improved interior, ride comfort, stylish exterior, and retained the reliability and off-road prowess of the good old CJ-7. In 1987, less than a year after the launch of the Wrangler, the Jeep brand became part of the Chrysler Corporation, now Chrysler Group LLC .
Jeep Wrangler (1992)
In the 1990s, the Wrangler and Cherokee won awards around the world. In 1997, both models received a new design and a wave of positive criticism started again. The Grand Cherokee was born as a successor to the Wagoneer in the luxury SUV category. Jeep's popularity grew, hand in hand with the competition. Following the success of the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, automakers jumped on the bandwagon, and now there are few automakers that don't offer large and small comfort SUVs. Don't worry, the 60-year tradition of producing off-road vehicles is hard to catch up with. Jeep was simply the first.
Jeep Grand Cherokee (1993-1995)
And what does Jeep look like today? Jeep currently offers three model lines. In addition to the successors to the highly successful Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models, Jeep produces the Compass compact SUV.
You can read current tests about Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models in our magazine – Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2.8 CRD TEST and Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland TEST
