Willys MB
| Willys | |
|---|---|
 Restored Willys-Jeep MB (G503), built in 1945
|
|
| MB | |
| Production period: | 1942-1945 |
| Class : | Off-road vehicle |
| Body versions : | Kübelwagen |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 2.2 liters (45 kW) |
| Length: | 3327 mm |
| Width: | 1575 mm |
| Height: | 1321-1829 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2032 mm |
| Empty weight : | 1040 kg |
| successor | Jeep CJ |
The Willys MB , with the official army name ¼-ton 4 × 4 truck and the abbreviation Jeep , is considered to be the archetype of the off-road vehicle . He is also the ancestor of today under the brand " Jeep sold" cars from Chrysler . The robust vehicle with selectable all-wheel drive was developed based on a tender by the US Army from 1940. During World War II, the US armed forces were looking for a small, all -terrain, all - purpose vehicle that could be manufactured relatively cheaply and in large numbers.
Surname
The soldiers called the off-road vehicle "Jeep" for short. There are two theories about the origin of this name, which the Willys-Overland Company in Toledo (Ohio) only registered as a brand name in 1950 : It could be derived from the corrupt pronunciation of the abbreviation "GP" (pronounced: "Dschieh Pieh") ), which was in an army manual, possibly as an abbreviation for "General Purpose" (all-purpose vehicle). However, the vehicles were not officially designated as General Purpose Vehicle either in the tender or later . Only Ford used the abbreviation “GP” for its models as the internal factory code. Another theory says that the name comes from a character from the comic series " Popeye ": The mythical creature "Eugene the Jeep" helped his friend Popeye with his supernatural abilities when he didn't know what to do despite his spinach consumption.
history
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The first prototype of the later Jeep was developed and manufactured by the American Bantam Car Company in Butler (PA) under the abbreviation BRC (for Bantam Reconnaissance Car = " Bantam Reconnaissance Car ") and handed over to the US Army in September 1940. The further course of the final order placement is clouded by many speculations , even in the USA . For example, copies of the original BRC blueprints are said to have been passed on by the military without American Bantam's consent. The Department of Defense then ordered 1,500 test copies each of the Willys MA , the Ford GP and the Bantam BRC (Bantam actually delivered around 2,600 vehicles and then ceased production). The Willys MA made thanks to its powerful engine, the race, and the actual production in large numbers soon became later on by Willys and some also from Ford added to license - both companies had presented their own prototypes in November 1940th Before mass production, Willys-Overland revised the MA again according to the specifications of the Army and based it on the Ford GP . The result was the Willys MB , of which around 370,000 had been produced by the end of the war. The Ford models from then on bore the abbreviation GPW (g = governmental; p = 80 inch wheelbase; w = Willys-Design) and were based on the plans and specifications of Willys, from whose MB models they differed only in small details. Around 270,000 vehicles were produced by the Ford GPW . The vehicle, now known as the “Jeep”, was used on many fronts during World War II .
The Willys was indestructible, simply designed, and easily repaired. The Willys MB had a 60 hp (45 kW) engine with a displacement of 2.2 liters and three forward gears and one reverse gear. The all-wheel drive could be switched on. A top speed of almost 100 km / h was reached on roads. Despite its rustic furnishings with the simplest hanging seats, without doors and windows and only with a light fabric top as weather protection, the car was popular with the GIs: "It is loyal as a dog, strong as a mule and nimble as a mountain goat," said US Soldiers have described their utility vehicle.
The vehicle was modified many times during the war. It was equipped with various weapons , provided with a separate water tank for the heat of the desert, and with a special set of equipment could also drive through waist-high water. Ford also built a swimming jeep under the name GPA (General Purpose Amphibian) , sometimes called "Seep (Seagoing Jeep)" in colloquial language. The vehicle was based on the original GP, but had a buoyant boat hull with a screw drive. By the end of the war, Willys and Ford had made a total of almost 640,000 jeeps. At the peak of production, such an all-terrain vehicle was completed every two minutes. The German counterpart, the Type 82 from Volkswagen (" Kübelwagen "), was not as all-terrain as the Jeep, and only the VW Type 87 or 166 ("Schwimmwagen") had all-wheel drive.
Successor models and civil offshoots
The success story continued even after the war. The vehicle was further developed for the military and was given the designation M38 (G740) as the successor designation . This was later followed by the M38 A1 (G758) - the last Jeep in service with the US Army - and the MUTT model built by Ford , which, however, had little resemblance to the original Jeep and was used, for example, in the Vietnam War . In order to be able to clearly distinguish the MUTT from the Willys, the slits of the front mask were made horizontally, while the Willys were vertical.
After the Second World War , the jeep also became very popular in the civil sector, so it was used in agriculture and forestry in many countries. The first civilian model had the type designation CJ-2A . There was also a CJ-1 , but only written records of this exist. As a direct successor to the CJ-2A came CJ-3A on the market. The M38 is visually identical to the CJ-3A , although there are very large technical differences. A variety of models followed, including the legendary CJ-7 .
The civil jeep production of Willys-Overland became Kaiser-Jeep (the parent company Kaiser Industries is known for its mass production of Liberty cargo ships with welded hulls in World War II), followed by AMC , the first large engines (6-cylinder in-line and V8 engines) built into the chassis. In 1987 AMC and with it the name "Jeep" was bought by the Chrysler Corporation . The first Jeep Wranglers were based on the chassis of the CJ-7 series from AMC. Rover built the aluminum bodies of the first prototypes of the Land Rover on Jeep MB chassis.
License models
The French car manufacturer Hotchkiss produced a license model under the designation M201 from 1958 . Technically, the Hotchkiss is much better than the original Willys MB , even if it is externally identical. The on-board voltage of the electrics was increased from 6 volts to 24 volts and the lead frame was significantly reinforced. In addition, the Hotchkiss got a modified "all-wheel drive". The gear shaft has been reinforced by 13 mm to 32 mm (on the M38 to 30 mm). The rear quick-release axles have also been improved, so that the likelihood of shearing off when starting off has been significantly reduced.
The Willys Jeep is also being built under license by Mahindra in India. This model corresponds to the Willys CJ3B , but with a Peugeot diesel engine. In Taiwan, the Willys MB is also known as the National Double-Ten .
The Jeep MB was also produced under license in Japan for a few years by Mitsubishi . Mitsubishi was required not to export any of these vehicles, so there will hardly be any Mitsubishi jeep outside of Japan.
Others
The synonym “Jeep” later became the general generic name of a vehicle type and is now used colloquially for almost every smaller off-road vehicle.
Even after more than 60 years, the original Jeep has fan bases in many countries around the world. As is common with many classic cars, the price varies greatly depending on the degree of restoration and the proximity to the original condition.
The vehicle concept spread in German-speaking countries in the 1970s and 1980s with the Suzuki LJ80 (built until 1982) and its successor, the Suzuki SJ . At that time it was windsurfing popular; many surfers used the all-terrain Suzuki to get close to the water. Cars also became lifestyle attributes during this time (see also trend sports ).
In the Philippines, the vehicles left behind by the Americans developed into a separate vehicle category of often extended conversions and replicas for use as shared taxis in the 1950s. Such Jeepney vehicles were still being built in 2016 with recognizable references to the Willys Jeep.
Technical specifications
_Motor.JPG)
| Willys MB | |
|---|---|
| Construction year | 1942-1945 |
| engine |
Four-cylinder in - line engine , type L134 nickname " Willys Go Devil " |
| Displacement | 134.2 in³ (2199 cm³) |
| Bore × stroke | 3 1 ⁄ 8 in × 4 3 ⁄ 8 in (79.4 mm × 111.1 mm) |
| power | 60 hp (45 kW) at 4000 min -1 |
| maximum torque | 105 lbf · ft (142 N · m) at 2000 min -1 |
| transmission | Three-speed + reduction gear |
| frame | Ladder frame |
| Brakes |
Drum brakes front and rear as well as on the gearbox |
| Top speed | 100 km / h |
| body | Open four-seater |
Web links
- Film The Autobiography of a Jeep (1943)
Produced in 1943 and published by the United States Office of War Information , it shows images of testing and use. - Willys Jeep MB - an extensively documented restoration.
Individual evidence
- ↑ War Department Technical Manual TM 9-803 "¼-ton 4 × 4 truck Willys-Overland Model MB to Ford Model GPW"
- ↑ a b Denise Juchem: Motor - Auto Legends - The world's first jeep . In: The world . December 23, 2012, p. M1 ( DIE WELT Online [accessed January 23, 2013]).
- ↑ Nostalgic Jeep descendants on Manila's streets. NZZ, May 7, 2016
- ↑ a b c d Steve Statham: Jeep Color History . Motorbooks, 1999, ISBN 9780760306369 , p. 24 (accessed November 23, 2014).
- ^ Film The Autobiography of a Jeep. (1943) , the Internet Movie Database
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