Jeep FC

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Jeep FC-150 with flatbed (1958)

The Jeep Forward Control is a van that was manufactured by Willys-Overland and then Kaiser-Jeep from 1956 to 1965. It was also built in other countries. The term Forward Control indicates that the vehicle was a front-wheel drive , that is, its driver's cab was arranged above the engine (Cab-Over-Engine) .

design

Willys made almost unchanged delivery vans since 1947. When other providers pushed onto the market in the 1950s, the management had a new, modern range of vans developed. The designer Brooks Stevens was inspired by large trucks with a driver's cab above the engine. The CJ-5 served as the basis for the new vehicle . The counter-steered Willys Hurricane engine and the side-steered four-cylinder engine were chosen as drive .

The Forward Control was mainly marketed as a work vehicle for private companies, local authorities and the military, but also for private use. The flatbed version was standard, but customers were offered a variety of "Jeep-approved" bodies from other manufacturers. This ranged from simple flatbeds to complete tow trucks, dump trucks and fire engines .

The offer also included a Forward Control Commuter, one of the first minivans. Three working prototypes were built by Reutter in Stuttgart . Brooks Stevens was also involved in converting these vans into passenger vehicles.

FC-150

The FC-150 model was introduced in 1956 and had a short wheelbase of just 2,057 mm and a flatbed 1,981 mm long. In 1958 the car got a new, wider chassis. The track increased from 1,219 mm to 1,448 mm.

FC-170

The FC-170 was introduced in 1957 and had a wheelbase of 2,616 mm and a flatbed length of 2,743 mm. This model is notable because for the first time ever, the usable length (9 ft.) Exceeded the wheelbase. This could be achieved by arranging the driver's cab above the engine.

FC-170 DRW

This was a one-ton truck with twin rear tires and a usable length of 3,048 mm. The vehicles were available with a gross vehicle weight of 3,624 kg or 4,077 kg.

production

The Jeep Forward Control was introduced to dealers on November 29, 1956 and first shown to the public at the New York City Automobile Show in December 1956. The FC-150 was in dealerships from December 12, 1956. The first customer inquiries for the four-wheel drive FC jeeps were very promising. Their best sales year was 1957 with 9,738 copies. After the introduction of the FC-170 in 1957, FC-150 sales dropped to 1,546 in 1959, but recovered to 4,925 in 1960. However, as Willys-Overland had hoped, neither of the two models was a huge success. In 9 years only a little over 30,000 copies were made. Production was stopped in 1964.

Military variants

In addition to the civilian Jeep Forward Control, there were four models for the army:

  • M676 - basically a civilian FC with small changes
  • M677 - a four-door double cabin with a tarpaulin
  • M678 - an FC with a bus structure
  • M679 - an M678 as an ambulance

Models outside of the United States

Numerous versions of the FC model series - mostly not available in the USA - were produced in many other countries under license from the various owners of the Jeep brand: Willys-Overland , Kaiser-Jeep and AMC :

India

Mahindra in Bombay manufactured vehicles from CKD sets from 1947 . Production of the FC-150 began in India in 1965, and later the FC-170 was also made, as was a locally constructed FC-160, the size of which was between the two aforementioned models.

The FC-160 (and later the FJ-160) had a wheelbase of 2,330 mm. The flatbed superstructure came from Mahindra and other superstructures were also available. The version with chassis and driver's cab of the FC-160 was in great demand in the 1970s for conversion to minibuses, ambulances and other vehicles. Most of them own the FC front. The production of the Mahindra FC-160 was stopped in summer 1999.

The FC-260 Diesel truck was introduced in 1975. Currently, the Mahindra FJ-460 (introduced in 1983) and the FJ-470 minibus / van have the original Jeep FC grille and front. These vehicles can transport 11 to 15 people plus a driver.

Spain

In the 1960s Kaiser-Willys licensed VIASA (Vehiculos Industriales y Agricolas, SA) to build Jeep vehicles in Spain. In the late 1970s, VIASA bought the van manufacturer Ebro (a subcontractor of Motor Iberica ). The SV delivery van series was built on Jeep chassis, just like the FC models in the USA. The special Spanish models were the Compeador (one- tonne open), the Duplex (double cabin), the Furgon (one-tonne closed) and the Toledo (9-seat bus). There were two engines to choose from: the in-line six-cylinder Willys Super Hurricane and an in-line four-cylinder diesel from Perkins .

Trivia

An FC-170 in zebra livery is shown in the film Hatari! used to transport the captured animals.

Web links

Commons : Jeep Forward Control  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

swell

  • Foster, Patrick R. "1957-65 Jeep Forward Control Trucks: Too Far Forward?" Collectible Automobile , Issue 24, No. 1, June 2007, pages 52-63.