REWIND: 80 YEARS OF JEEP
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE FIRST 80 YEARS OF JEEP, THE SEVEN-SLOT ICON
IF WE look back at the history of the automobile as an epoch of time, one must admit that its brief 135-year story represents a mere sliver of our planet’s chronical. Yet when Carl Benz was issued a patent for a ‘vehicle powered by a gas engine’, he certainly could not have fathomed the impact it would have on the human race.
In 1903, Dutch brothers Hendrik and Jacobus Spijker took the concept further by incorporating a four-wheel drive system into their Spyker 60 roadster. Spin the clock forward through the next few decades and there were brands that landed with a big splash, only to sink into oblivion. Those that survived were able to adapt to changing economies, overcome challenges, and reinvent when needed.
2021 marks the 80th anniversary of one such brand, whose four-wheel drives have circumnavigated the globe, set Guinness World Records, fought in wars, and even credited as helping to save the planet from tyranny. This month we are honouring Jeep, the seven-slot brand, by delving into its first eight decades and looking forward as it prepares for the hurdles of the future.
DEEP ROOTS
TO understand the deep determination of a brand like Jeep, we need to go back more than a century and join two young entrepreneurs. In 1903, Claud Cox, an engineer with the Standard Wheel Company who had designed their Overland motorcar, launched his own business when his employer pulled the plug on its automobile endeavors. Struggling for several years, Cox was ultimately destined for bankruptcy, but in an event that would change the future of the world, a visionary bicycle salesman from New York named John North Willys intervened. After witnessing his first horseless carriage and the excitement it generated, Willys knew that the motorcar would eventually render the bicycle obsolete.
Willys struck a deal with Cox – paying $10,000 USD for 51 per cent of the company – and then worked his charismatic magic with creditors, employees and suppliers to keep them in the game. By 1908, the new WillysOverland company had sold more than 500 automobiles and turned a handsome profit. In short order it had outgrown its building and needed a new home, landing in Toledo, Ohio. It was a decision that would not only change the future of the company but prompted Cox to resign.
By 1916, the brand’s reputation for quality positioned the Overland Model 38 as the second best-selling car in the country. Fast-forward through the booming 1920s, tumultuous 1930s, and the passing of John Willys in 1933, and America was gearing up for its inevitable entry into World War II.
THE SEVEN-SLOT GRILLE
WITH technology running at a breakneck pace, the US Government knew the upcoming war would be like no other. Horse-drawn howitzers were a thing of the past and their ragtag fleet of modified Model Ts would be no match for Germany’s Wehrmacht. They issued a request to all US auto manufacturers to produce a light reconnaissance vehicle that had four-wheel drive, a fold-down windshield, weighed less than 1300lb, and could carry a crew of three. And the kicker … they wanted fully functioning prototypes in just 50 days. Bantam Motors and Willys-overland responded, followed by Ford under the urging of the government.
The fruits of their frantic efforts rendered the Bantam BRC, Ford Pygmy, and Willys Quad. Prototypes were evaluated in several rounds of tyre-to-tyre field testing, followed by an order for 1500 more units. When the dust settled, it was the Willys Quad and its powerful Godevil engine – named so because it would ‘Go like the Devil’ – that received Uncle Sam’s nod of approval. During the war years, Willys produced 363,000 MA and MB models, while Ford, under US license using Willys specifications, manufactured more than 280,000 of their GPWS.
There have been many campfire debates on where the Jeep moniker came from. Some claim it was slang for GeneralPurpose vehicle (GP), while others argue it sprung from a gravity-defying character in the 1930s Popeye cartoon, Eugene the Jeep. Whatever the origin, by the end of WWII the world had embraced this nickname and Jeep quickly became part of the international lexicon.
PEACE TIME AND CIVILIAN JEEPS
AS peace settled over the planet, the venerable Jeep, which had been deployed on six continents, had become known as the vehicle that helped win the war. Surplus units were sold at auction to farmers, outdoorsmen and adventurers, and Uncle Sam authorised Willys to produce the MB for the consumer markets. It would be deemed the CJ-2A (Civilian Jeep) and its agile suspension, open-air design and proven durability, made an easy transition from the front lines to field and stream. Looking back, the CJ-2A and its seven-slot grille would provide inspiration for dozens of Jeep models for the next 70 years.
Extending its reach in 1947, licensing was also granted to several international automakers, some of which continue to produce vintage-style Willys to this day. Its simple, utilitarian design and dependability also prompted several manufacturers to produce nearly identical knock-offs. But as they say, imitation is the finest form of flattery.
Spinning the clock forward to the late ’40s and 1950s when the brand was eventually purchased by Kaiser Automobiles, Jeep continued on its selfdirected path. Focusing on the needs of the rugged individualist, it would develop vehicles for family camping, hard-working farm and fire trucks, and sporty beach cruisers.
LOOKING BACK, THE CJ-2A AND ITS SEVENSLOT GRILLE WOULD PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR DOZENS OF JEEP MODELS FOR THE NEXT 70 YEARS
THROUGH RECESSIONS, OIL EMBARGOS, MARKET CRASHES, GLOBAL ECONOMIC PRESSURES AND WARS, THE BRAND CONTINUED TO FORGE FORWARD
TUMULTUOUS TIMES
THE Willys brand was eventually acquired by a long succession of parent companies ranging from Kaiser to Fiat. Each took their turn at amalgamating the brand with their own, but Jeep was different than anything they had experienced. It had true global identity, a devoted following and bulldog-stubborn management. Through recessions, oil embargos, market crashes, global economic pressures and wars, the brand continued to forge forward with relative autonomy.
Interestingly, if we look back to 1920, Walter P Chrysler had been commissioned by a group of bankers to help restructure Willys, which was heading for bankruptcy again. Although he left after a botched coup attempt to edge out founder John Willys, the company he later formed, the Chrysler Corporation, would eventually purchase American Motors and the Jeep brand from Renault.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
OUR 80-year timeline puts Jeep under the umbrella of Kaiser, AMC, Renault, Chrysler, Daimler-benz, Fiat, and now Stellantis. There have been some rough spells, but the brand prevailed in the presence of reorganisations, acquisitions, down-sizing, up-scaling, and global market meltdowns. Like the soldiers it has carried into battle the world over, it is a survivor, beholden only to its ethos of producing rough-and-ready machines and determination to prevail.
While Jeep’s current offerings range from new uber-opulent Grand Wagoneer to the compact Renegade, we need to give a shout out to the Wrangler Rubicon, Gladiator Mojave and new Grand Cherokee L. In each case, these models have defined the upper boundaries of supreme capability, high-speed desert performance and luxurious appointments. The auto industry is currently in a state of flux, and will be in the foreseeable future. But how does that look for the brand that created the off-road genre?
RETRO-MODERN CONCEPTS
FOR more than a decade, the design team at Jeep has confirmed its dedication to the brand’s DNA via their annual fleet of Moab concepts. Each represents a model from a different era, melded together with modern powertrains and creative queues from their predecessors. Behold the FiveQuarter 715, Sarge J8, Mighty FC and Jeepster Beach Commando.
ELECTRIFYING FUTURE
WE recently sat in on a meeting with Jeep’s top brass to hear what’s in store for the coming decades. Based on global energy and environmental concerns, it was no surprise when they confirmed the future will be electrifying … as in hybrids, full EVS and artificial intelligence. The 49-mpg (17.5km/lt) Wrangler 4xe hybrid is rolling out as we speak, and the plan is to have zero-emission options for all product lines by 2025. Jeep is also dedicated to having 70 per cent of its sales worldwide be electrified in some way in the next four years.
Other ambitious goals include autonomous off-road driving, biometric owner recognition, vehicle-to-vehicle charging, drone pairing (for the ultimate selfies), and dynamic tyre inflation (CTIS). This news of rapid developments in hightech electrification begged the question … can they do all of this while maintaining its legendary capability? With an excitement in their eyes, they assured us that the future looks bright. The seven-slot brand will continue to be competitive and compliant, yet dedicated to maintaining the Jeep’s ethos as a premium off-road offering. Ambitious, we think so.