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The Willys Americar was a line of automobiles produced by Willys-Overland Motors from 1937 to 1942, either as a sedan, coupe, station wagon or pickup truck. The coupe version is a very popular hot rod choice, [ 1 ] either as a donor car or as a fiberglass model.
The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army truck, 1 ⁄ 4 ‑ton, 4×4, command reconnaissance, [9] [10] commonly known as the Willys Jeep, [nb 5] Jeep, or jeep, [12] and sometimes referred to by its Standard Army vehicle supply nr. G-503, [nb 6] were highly successful American off-road capable, light military utility ...
Willys (pronounced / ˈ w ɪ l ɪ s /, "Willis" [2]) [5] [1] was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys.It was best known for its design and production of World War II–era military jeeps (MBs), Willys M38 and M38A1 military jeeps as well as civilian versions , and branding the 'jeep' military slang-word into the '(Universal ...
1942 Willys MB (slat grille) 1942 T24 Scout Car – MT-based armored car. Although it performed well in trials, the T24 was abandoned in favor of the M8 and M20 Light Armored Car. 1942–1943 Ford GTB 1 1 ⁄ 2-ton 4x4 'Burma Jeep' 1942–1945 Willys MB (stamped grille) 1942–1945 Ford GPW; 1943 Willys T28 – half-track based on the MT
The US Army sought rapid production of a lightweight reconnaissance car. Production of the Willys MB, better known as the Jeep, began in 1941. By 1945, over 650,000 military Jeeps had been manufactured, and subsequent Willys/Jeep production was almost exclusively four-wheel drive.
Willys MA on the assembly line, 1941 1942 Willys MB slat grille 1952–1957 Willys / Kaiser MD Jeep M715 truck. 1940 Willys Quad — Willys' first prototype, competing for the U.S. Army contract for a 1 ⁄ 4-short-ton (0.23-tonne) reconnaissance vehicle; 1941 Willys MA — Willys' low-volume preproduction model, preceding the standardized ...
In March 1941, Auburn Central Manufacturing (ACM) landed an important contract with Willys-Overland, initially for 1,600 Willys MA jeep bodies. The first bodies were shipped in April 1941, but more, very large, jeep body manufacturing contracts were gained from both Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Company during World War II.
The word "Jeep" was first used to describe US Army "midget cars" in a January 1941 newspaper article, mentioning "Bantam" as the manufacturer. [22] At the time American Bantam was the only manufacturer that had actually fulfilled purchase orders to deliver Jeeps to the US Army. Rumors say "Jeep" is a phonetic pronunciation of the abbreviation GP.