Willys Jeeps
A unique line of Jeeps, known as Willys Jeeps, were produced by the Willys-Overland Motor Company in the United States between 1940 and 1983. The Jeeps were wildly popular for civilians but were used as transport vehicles and officers cars by the American military as well.
The Willys-Overland Motor Company
In 1908, John North Willys bought the Overland Automotive Division of the Standard Wheel Company and renamed it Willys-Overland Motor Company four years later. Unfortunately, his early designs for the Willys Jeep never took off because the company was forced into bankruptcy by the Great Depression. In 1936, the company reorganized and started to work on new designs based on the technological changes that had happened during the economic downturn.
Military contract
In 1940, the United States military contracted Willys to build a line of military Jeeps. With a design created by the American Bantam Car Company, more than 360,000 military Jeeps were constructed by Willys by 1945; Ford and American Bantam also produced Jeeps based on this model.
Civilian consumption
As World War II came to an end, Willys released the CJ, or Civilian Jeep, line beginning with the 2A in 1945. In 1946 Willys created a Jeep Station Wagon, and in 1947 the first Willys Jeep Truck rolled off the assembly line. Each of the Willys Jeep vehicles was designed to target a different sales market.
End of the line
The last Willys Jeeps were produced in 1983 after the company had made more than 610,000 Willys Jeeps. The American Motor Company, which took possession of the Willys line in the 1970, retired the brand. Though the Willys Jeep line was no longer produced, the Chrysler corporation, which bought the American Motor Company in 1987, continues to use the Jeep name for a line of off-road vehicles.
The Willys Jeep has a unique and strictly American history of producing both military and civilian vehicles. There are a wide variety of jeeps, station wagons and trucks in the Willys Jeep line which are valuable collectors' items.