1940 Willys Jeep

Arguably the best-known car in the world, the humble military General Purpose quarter-ton truck, known as the Jeep, was created by America’s Bantam company in 1940. Demand was greater than Bantam could supply, so the design was licensed to Ford and Willys-Overland. The latter made by far the greatest number of units and contrived to hold on to both design rights and the name ‘Jeep’ after the war.

Extremely simple and extraordinarily robust, the Jeep was indispensable. Basic wartime models continued in production in the 1940s as the Civilian Jeep (CJ). When a taller power unit replaced the side-valve engine, the bonnet was raised. The CJ chassis stayed in production in the USA until the 1980s, and versions of the original design are still in production in India. Hundreds of original 1940s Jeeps are still in use as work vehicles all over the world. The Jeep is attractive to users in the Third world as it is easy to drive, repair and incredibly strong.

The Jeepster, an open four-place tourer and a station wagon version was introduced in 1946. Jeep-brand all-wheel drive vehicles have been in production for more than sixty years, and promise to continue for decades to come.

These extracts are taken from Auto Legends: Classics of Style and Design by Michel Zumbrunn, text by Robert Cumberford which was published in October by Merrell