![]() ![]() Documentation is scarce, but in early 1944, Willys seemed to have found time to start drawing up plans, and one or two prototypes dubbed CJ(-1), for "Civilian Jeep", were running by May of that year. This allowed Willys to consider designing a Jeep for the postwar civilian market. By 1944, the Allies were confident the war would be won, and wartime production looked to be winding down. In 1942, the US Department of Agriculture tested the MB. The similar model the DJ "Dispatcher" was introduced in 1956 as a two-wheel drive version with open, fabric, or a closed steel body in both left- and right-hand drives for hotel, resort, police, and later United States Postal Service markets. Looking very similar and riding on the same wheelbase as the CJ-7, it carried over some important components, including its use of leaf springs. Widely regarded as "America's workhorse", the CJs have been described as "probably the most successful utility vehicle ever made." American Motors VP Joseph Cappy said the end of "CJ production will signal an end of a very important era in Jeep history." In 1987, the Jeep CJ-7 was replaced by the first-generation Jeep Wrangler. More than 1.5 million CJ Jeeps were built, having continued the same basic body style for 45 years since the Jeep first appeared. The 1976 CJ-7 stretched the wheelbase by 10 inches (25 cm), and made doors and a removable hardtop common items.Īfter remaining in production through a range of model numbers, and several corporate parents, the Jeep CJ line was officially ended after 1986. flat-fendered bodies (1955 CJ-5), straight-6 and V8-engines, automatic gearboxes, and different 4-wheel drive systems. ![]() A few stand-out changes during 42 model years were the introductions of round-fendered vs. Also, with few exceptions, they had part-time four-wheel drive systems, with the choice of high and low gearing, and open bodies with removable hard or soft tops. Also, besides adding basic civilian amenities and options, as well as legal lighting, the CJ needed an even sturdier drivetrain than the war jeep, because the targeted rural buyers would work the vehicles hard, and expect years of durability, instead of mere weeks during WW II.įrom then on, all CJ Jeeps consistently had a separate body and frame, rigid live axles with leaf springs both front and rear, a tapering nose design with flared fenders, and a fold-flat windshield, and could be driven without doors. The design was a direct evolution from the war jeep, but the most obvious change was adding a tailgate, and relocating the spare wheel to the side. In 1944, Willys-Overland, the primary manufacturer of the World War II military Jeep, built the first prototypes for a commercial version – the CJ, short for "civilian Jeep". The 1945 Willys "Universal Jeep" was the world's first mass-produced civilian four-wheel drive car. Production reached approximately 640,000 units by August 1945.The Jeep CJ models are a series and a range of small, open-bodied off-road vehicles and compact pickup trucks, built and sold by several successive incarnations of the Jeep automobile marque from 1945 through 1986. It was also used for liason, command, communication and sometimes even as an ambulance for a light firearms carrier. As a means of transit for soldiers, it played an important role in bringing the Allied victory. During WW2, the Willys MB and Ford GPW ran over every battlefield. It was designated the GPW, and a simple, pressed steelfront grille was introduced. Due to the necessity of increasing production, the Army ordered Ford to join the mass production using the Willys MB’s blueprints. The early Willys MB had a welded, slat type front grille. This marked the birth of the Willys MB (Model B) that provided unmatched ability to transport Allied troops during the conflict. In November 1941, the Army, with alterations on the front grille and hood to the Ford design, chose the Willy’s vehicle as the basis for the mass production model. It became a pressing need for allied nations to possess tough and reliable vehicles with excellent cross-country ability. During the early stage of WW2, Germany had achieved outstanding successes by using motorized troops with their “Blitzkrieg” tactics. Forces ordered the Willys, Ford, and Bantam companies to develop prototypes of a small sized multi-purpose 4-wheel drive vehicle. The origin of the Jeep vehicle dates back to early 1941, when U.S. Without a doubt the Jeep Willys MB occupies a significant position in the whole automotive history. ![]()
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