This Day

November 13, 1940 – Willys-Overland delivers its prototype Jeep to the Army

1943 Willys GP

On this day in 1940 Willys-Overland delivered to the US Armed Forces its prototype for a highly capable vehicle that would soon become known as the Jeep. The design was based off the Bantam BRC, created by Karl Probst and submitted to the Army two months prior. The Army claimed ownership of the initial design and passed it to Willys, citing the company’s better production capability. The primary differences between the Bantam and Willys prototypes were that the latter offered a more powerful engine and four wheel steering.

The original Bantam prototype.

Ford was recruited to join Willys in building the Jeeps. Together the two companies produced approximately 640,000 Jeeps for World War II, which was about 18 percent of all wheeled vehicles built by the US in that era. 

There are several theories about where the name Jeep came from. Some believe it is a slurring of the acronym G.P. V., standing for General Purpose Vehicle, or Government Purpose, but there is no use of these acronyms before the name originates. But there was a GPW acronym from Ford. The G stood for government, P designated the 80-inch wheelbase and W was for the Willys engine. Others attribute the name to Eugene the Jeep, Popeye’s jungle pet that could solve nearly impossible issues. However, the term Jeep was used in the Army as early as 1914 to refer to new test vehicles, including the precursor to the B-17 Flying Fortress. 


Brian Corey

Recent Posts

October 31, 1957 – The Chevrolet Impala is announced

After debuting an Impala show car at the 1956 GM Motorama, Chevrolet used the name…

5 days ago

October 30, 1911 – Little Motor Car Company is founded, later becomes part of Chevrolet

The Little Motor Car Company, founded on October 30, 1911, in Flint, Michigan, is a…

5 days ago

October 29, 1932 – Safarikar builder Bruce Mohs is born

Bruce Mohs with his Opera Sedan following its restoration. (autobild.de) Perhaps you've heard of the…

1 week ago

October 28, 1977 – Tokyo Motor Show opens

First generation Daihatsu Charade. By Charles01 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 The annual Tokyo…

1 week ago

October 27, 1937 – Second generation Cadillac V-16 is introduced

1940 Cadillac V16 90 Town Car To build the ultimate automobile, Cadillac began development of…

1 week ago

October 26, 1966 – Toyota introduces what will become the best selling car ever, the Toyota Corolla

1966 Toyota Corolla debut (Toyota) The Toyota Corolla, one of the most iconic and enduring…

1 week ago