Jeep Willys Quad 1940

Initially, Willys-Overland and American Bantam Car Manufacturing Company, the only two companies meet. But soon, the Ford Motor Company entered the scene, and competition began among the three in which the company would receive the lucrative government contracts.

Each of the companies for the production of prototypes for testing in record time. Chief Engineer Bantam Bantam and the management team, developed the project, and the company has built its field car within 49 days.

Willys-Overland vice president of engineering Delmar G. Roos designed the Willys Quad. Ford developed its Model (General Purpose) GP, known as Pygmies, which was powered by an adapted Ford / Ferguson tractor. Each company has a prototype of the army in the summer of 1940 and obtained permission to build 70 test vehicles.

The army took possession of these vehicles in November 1940 at Camp Holabird, Md. Each of the three designs exceeded the Army specifications of £ 1,300., But the army realized that the limit is too low and raised for next round of vehicles.

The army has launched the next round of contracts in March 1941. Bantam BRC was to produce 40 vehicles 1500 model, Ford would build 1,500 modified and improved GP Pygmies, and Willys would build 1,500 Quads. Testing and evaluation led to the selection Army Willys vehicle as the standard.

Since then, most of the Bantam, Ford GP products were sent to England and Russia as part of the Lend-Lease. United Kingdom Ford vehicle was popularly known as the "Blitz Buggy."

With modifications and improvements, the Willys Quad became the MA, and later the MB. But the army, and the world became known as the Jeep ®.