17. The military vehicle which launched a major corporation
In the late 1930s, the US Army needed a new vehicle for transportation and reconnaissance. They specified the vehicle should be four-wheel drive, inexpensive to purchase and maintain, able to reach speeds of 50 miles per hour. The Army also demanded a working prototype in just seven weeks. Detroit’s Bantam Car Company complied. In reward, the Army gave the Bantam plans to both Ford and Toledo, Ohio’s Willys-Overland, believing Bantam incapable of meeting demand for the new vehicle. Bantam later manufactured a small number of the vehicles, most of which went to Britain under Lend-Lease. The Bantam design, with minimal alterations (the famed grill design came from Ford), became the near legendary Jeep. Jeep later became a major brand name in SUVs and off-road vehicles. But the origin of its name, usually attributed to a slurring of the initials G-P, for General Purpose vehicle, is inaccurate.
During the First World War, both vehicles and new recruits were referred to as jeeps. And while the Army did designate the car as a GPW, G referred to Government, P to wheelbase, and W to Willys, its engine manufacturer. The Army Air Corps, and later Air Forces, referred to the Link Trainer simulator as a jeep. The US Navy’s escort carriers of World War II were called “jeep carriers” by the men who crewed them. By World War II the term jeep referred to small vehicles, small aircraft, gadgets, and any other equipment the GIs chose to honor with it. Willys-Overland tried to trademark the name for its Bantam-designed car in 1943, though Bantam disputed it and several years of legal battles ensued. In 1945 Willys produced the first civilian jeep, designating it the Willys CJ (Civilian Jeep). Willys finally acquired the trademark “Jeep” in 1950.