Willys MB Jeep
The Willys MB US Army Jeep, along with the nearly identical Ford GPW, was manufactured from 1941 to 1945. They are the iconic World War II Jeep.
Introduction
The Willys jeep has frequently been written off as another vehicle to mod for offroading. This often ruins the historical value of the jeep, and makes the next buyer interested in restoring it have a lot more work to do to restore it to WWII status. Jeeps have a popular demand in modern day culture. Several companies in India and the Philippines restore them and supply them to private collectors.
The Willys jeep has frequently been written off as another vehicle to mod for offroading. This often ruins the historical value of the jeep, and makes the next buyer interested in restoring it have a lot more work to do to restore it to WWII status. Jeeps have a popular demand in modern day culture. Several companies in India and the Philippines restore them and supply them to private collectors.
History
Even though the world had seen wide-spread mechanizations of the military during World War I, and the US Army had already used 4x4 trucks in it, supplied by the Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. (FWD), by the time World War II was dawning, the United States Department of War were still seeking a standardized light cross-country and reconnaissance vehicle. As tensions were heightening around the world in the late Thirties, the US Army put the word out to American automobile manufacturers to come up with suggestions to replace its existing, aging light motor vehicles, mostly motorcycles and sidecars but also some Ford Model T's. This resulted in several prototypes being presented to army officials, like five Marmon-Herrington 4x4 Fords in 1937, and three Austin roadsters by American Bantam in 1938 (Fowler, 1993). However, the US Army's requirements were not formalised until July 11, 1940, when 135 U.S. automotive manufacturers were approached to submit a design conforming to their specifications, for a vehicle the World War II training manual TM 9-803 described as "... a general purpose, personnel, or cargo carrier especially adaptable for reconnaissance or command, and designated as 1/4-ton 4x4 Truck."
Even though the world had seen wide-spread mechanizations of the military during World War I, and the US Army had already used 4x4 trucks in it, supplied by the Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. (FWD), by the time World War II was dawning, the United States Department of War were still seeking a standardized light cross-country and reconnaissance vehicle. As tensions were heightening around the world in the late Thirties, the US Army put the word out to American automobile manufacturers to come up with suggestions to replace its existing, aging light motor vehicles, mostly motorcycles and sidecars but also some Ford Model T's. This resulted in several prototypes being presented to army officials, like five Marmon-Herrington 4x4 Fords in 1937, and three Austin roadsters by American Bantam in 1938 (Fowler, 1993). However, the US Army's requirements were not formalised until July 11, 1940, when 135 U.S. automotive manufacturers were approached to submit a design conforming to their specifications, for a vehicle the World War II training manual TM 9-803 described as "... a general purpose, personnel, or cargo carrier especially adaptable for reconnaissance or command, and designated as 1/4-ton 4x4 Truck."