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The American Bantam Car Company was an American automobile manufacturing company incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania.American Bantam is credited with inventing the original World War II 1 ⁄ 4 ‑ton jeep in 1940.
1931 American Austin roadster. The American Austin Car Company Inc. was an American automobile manufacturing corporation incorporated in the state of Delaware. The company was founded on February 23, 1929, [1] and produced motorcars licensed from the British Austin Motor Company from 1930 through 1934, after it had filed for bankruptcy protection.
Bantam BRC is an American off-road vehicle designed during World War II, constructed in 1940, and the precursor to the Jeep. Produced in a relatively small number of 2,642 units, in several versions, it was used by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. The basic version of the model was the BRC-40 (Bantam Reconnaissance ...
This is a chronological index for the start year for motor vehicle brands (up to 1969). For manufacturers that went on to produce many models, it represents the start date of the whole brand; for the others, it usually represents the date of appearance of the main (perhaps only) model that was produced.
Bantam's BRC 40, pictured in 1941. When it became clear that the United States would be involved in the European theater of World War II, the Army contacted 135 companies to create working prototypes of a four-wheel drive reconnaissance car. Only two companies responded: the American Bantam Car Company and Willys-Overland. The Army set a ...
He was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to Charles and Eva (Knight) Probst.He studied engineering at Ohio State University and graduated in 1906.. Probst was recruited by American Bantam Car Company in 1940 to help it win a contract to provide the U.S. Army with a lightweight reconnaissance vehicle that could transport troops and equipment across rugged terrain.
Bantam's bid was submitted, complete with blueprints, on the 22 July deadline. [77] American Bantam had purchased the assets of American Austin Car Company from the bankruptcy court and had developed their own line of small cars and engine technology, free of licenses from the British Austin Motor Company.
They became best known as the first company to submit the Bantam Reconnaissance Car working prototype, saving time by using Austin nose and fender parts of what would evolve into the extremely successful and iconic WWII Willys MB "Jeep". The design was unfortunately handed over to Willys and Ford for production with a revised nose and fender ...