Jeep has long been associated with fun, stylish, and tough off-road cars that are equally awesome on the trail as on the freeway. Jeep is a brand that’s been around for over 70 years. It’s got a lot of history, and it’s still shrouded in mystery, myth, legend, and folklore.
Here are some facts about Jeep that might surprise you.
The Jeep Was Designed for Warfare
In 1940, America was preparing to join a global conflict that had already engulfed much of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Army required a tough, capable, but agile multipurpose reconnaissance vehicle capable of withstanding the rigors of war. After receiving bids from 135 automakers, the generals were most impressed by the Willy’s-Overland Quad.
By the time the prototype was created, America had been dragged into World War II. Jeeps were brought in bulk to invade France on the beaches of Normandy via ships, planes, and gliders that parachuted them to the ground.
The First Jeep Was Designed in Two Days
The military required a functional prototype in 49 days. The Bantam company hired an engineer, Karl Probst, who spent two frantic days and nights designing the first Jeep prototype. He provided estimated manufacturing costs the following day. On the fourth day, he presented the Army with a finalized bid with blueprints.
A Jeep Drove up The Steps of The U.S. Capitol
The Washington Daily News published a picture of a Jeep ascending the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C., in February 1941. The stunt was organized to demonstrate the Jeep’s off-road capabilities and was performed by a test driver. When a Daily News columnist inquired about the strange new vehicle, the test driver reportedly responded, “It’s a Jeep.”
The Name ‘jeep’ Is a Mystery
The original prototypes submitted to the Army were dubbed lowercase-j “jeeps,” but the true origins of the name have been lost to time. There are numerous urban legends, none of which can be confirmed or disproven. The most likely explanation is that the Army’s abbreviation for “general purpose” or “government purpose” vehicles is “GP,” which could have been pronounced colloquially as “jeep.”
Jeeps Were the First Mail Trucks
The Grumman Long Life Vehicle was commissioned as the standard mail delivery truck by the United States Postal Service in 1984. The now-famous LLV is only the USPS’s second vehicle in 65 years. The LLV replaced the Jeep DJ (Dispatcher Jeep), a right-hand drive purpose-built Jeep that the USPS commissioned as its first mail truck in the 1950s.
