There is no debate over the fact that the Jeep car emerged during the Second World War when the American army went out to seek a general purpose vehicle that matched it’s tough criteria.
Jeep History
Apparently it was a brilliant idea whose time had come because it went on to be widely copied the world over. The idea is even credited for inspiring the creation of the Landrover.
What car historians cannot agree on is where the name Jeep came from. This is the name that stuck and won over the numerous others used by the army to refer to this tough little car. Other names included Peep, Pygmy and Blitz-Buggy.
The first Jeep was build by the American Bantam company but the army was not happy with the engine and it was also felt that the company was too small to supply the huge numbers required. And so Willys-Overland and Ford were allowed a second chance on their initially rejected designs. The army finally settled on Willys-Overland whose bid was the cheapest.
Apart from being widely copied, several versions of the jeep were also built. This included a railway and amphibious Jeep. The really remarkable thing about Jeep is that despite going through the hands of numerous owners, it has survived and stayed in the market.
In 1987 Chrysler purchased American Motors (the then owner of the Jeep brand). Chrysler itself merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998 to create DaimlerChrysler and Jeeps remain one of the top brands rolling out of their factories today. The Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Wrangler are the names that are at the top of minds these days.
