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With our country fighting again, I suddenly realized this
was the fifth major conflict in my life span of 62 years! Gee! Ask any
veteran what he or she “ did in the war” and somehow the conversation will
get around to a “Jeep story.”
In the days before WW I, a North Carolinian, Captain
Alexander E. Williams, saw the future of a motorized army. Despite being a
West Point graduate, the Army “brass” thought him short on practical
experience and quickly pointed to the 12 trucks owned by the U.S. Army as
a gracious plenty. After all, NOTHING would ever replace the horse!
But, when hostilities started in Europe, the inventory had
risen to 2,400 trucks and, in 1918, U.S. builders produced a staggering
227,000 units for the U.S. and its allies. The Corbitt Company of New Bern
NC was a major manufacturer. But the horse was not out of the race. As
late as 1924, horses outnumbered trucks in the U.S. by 3 million!
The Jeep idea originated with the American Bantam Car
Company. In the mid-1930’s this struggling firm produced America’s first
compact car…the Bantam. Their president, Frank Fenn, discovered the army’s
need for a lightweight reconnaissance vehicle and saw a government
contract as a ticket for survival! In 1938, Bantam gave 3 vehicles to the
Pennsylvania National Guard for testing. Based on this experiment, the
Quartermaster Corps published bid specifications in 1940 for a small
four-wheel drive vehicle weighing 2160 lb., with a minimum ground
clearance of 6-1/4 inches. Other requirements included blackout lighting,
a fold-down windshield and bucket seats. 135 companies were invited to bid
and have a prototype delivered in 49 days! Bantam’s test cars were 2-wheel
drive. Bad news!
This meant designing an entirely new vehicle. With a phone
call from William S. Knudsen, former General Motors president, maverick
engineer Ken Probst joined the team. With 48 hours of marathon drawing
[There was no CAD-CAM computer in 1940!] the plans were completed. By
September 21, 1940 the hand-built prototype was finished, powered by a
Hercules four-cylinder engine hooked to a Warner transmission and Spicer
axles. It was quickly driven to Baltimore, MD, and arrived just a
half-hour before the deadline at 5:00 PM. After 3,000 miles of all terrain
driving, Major Herbert J. Lawes made a prophetic remark- “I believe this
vehicle will make history!”
But Bantam was not alone. Ford and Willys also submitted
prototypes based on the Bantam plans. Ford called theirs the “Pygmy”,
Willys, the “Quad” and Bantam, the “BRC” (for Bantam Reconnaissance Car.).
The competition was fierce. After testing, Willys was found to be 263
pounds over weight. Enter engineer Delmar B. “Barney” Roos. Even after
changing the frame from heavy carbon steel to a light alloy, it was still
too heavy. Studs, screws – even the cotter pins – were shortened. Finally,
the paint was weighed. Only one coat could be used, as a second layer
would exceed the 2160-lb. specification!
The government saw the financial quicksand of the Bantam
Company and did not let them build their vehicle. Instead, Willys got the
nod with Ford a second producer.
 Both would make the same vehicle-even
with the Willys 60-hp “Go-Devil” engine. For all their efforts and genius,
Bantam was tossed only a gristle of a contract for landing gears and
trailers.
Willys later renamed their product the MA and MB while Ford
called their GP and GPW. The “GP” did not stand for “general purpose.”
Rather, the “G” was for government and the “P” for a class of 80”
wheelbase units. A quick identifier was the front frame cross member. The
Ford had an inverted U-shaped design and the Willys used a tubular brace.
There are several stories about the Jeep’s name. In 1941
Major E.P. Hogan wrote a history of the vehicle and said, “ ‘Jeep’ is an
old Army grease monkey term dating back to WWI and was used by shop
mechanics to refer to any new motor vehicle received for testing.”
For those old enough to remember the Popeye comic strip
[remember, I told you I am 62!], it will be fondly recalled there was a
character called “Eugene the Jeep.” Eugene was a “do it all” figure who
could solve all sorts of complex problems. The public became so taken with
his abilities; a capable person or thing was referred to as a “real Jeep!”
Before the Bantam designed vehicle, Dodge produced a gangly,
massive Command Car on a ½ ton chassis. It was a 4x4 design and for a
while was called a Jeep. Later, they were called “Beeps,” or short for
“Big Jeeps.”
The name Jeep finally stuck when the chief test driver for
Willys drove a prototype up the steps of the Capital Building and a
bystander asked him, “What is that THING?” He yelled, “It’s a Jeep!”
Washington Daily News reporter Katherine Hillyer overheard the remark and
captioned the picture with the name…Jeep.
In all over 640,000 Jeeps helped the GI’s win “the
war”…WWII. [Remember, I told my age!]
Nuts, Bolts, and Washers
1908 John North Willys buys Overland and it becomes Willys
Overland 1953 Kaiser buys Willys Overland and changes the name to Willys
1963 the name changes to Kaiser-Jeep Corporation
1970 American Motors Corporation buys Kaiser and changes the name to AMC
1987 Chrysler buys AMC
1998 Chrysler merges with Mercedes Benz
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