Jeep's story begins in 1941 (part 2)

Read more : Jeep's story begins in1941 (part 1)

Jeep's story begins in 1941

Due to technical and financial constraints of Bantam, the Army gave Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Company Bantam's original plans, in order to submit their own prototypes. Willys introduced the "Quad", and Ford introduced the "Pygmy", incorporating modifications to the original design Bantam was finally weighing 2030 lbs (1044.09 kg). The Willys Quad exceeded specified initial weight too because they had a better engine which became known as the famous Go Devil. This proved advantageous for Willys as the weight limit was increased to 2,160 lb (979.75 kg), which was the only Quad prototype entirely satisfy the requirements of the army: their crushing 105 lb / ft of torque exceeded the torque applied and was far superior to the 83 lb / ft of torque offered by Bantam and 85 lb / ft of torque Deford prototype.

Jeep's story begins in 1941

Taking prototypes of the three companies, the Army placed an order for 4,500 vehicles, 1,500 to each of them, to test them in the field. Roos team began working to lighten the Quad. It completely dismantled and analyzed each of the parts to see whether there is the possibility of using a lighter material in one of them. When finished, the Jeep only exceeded in 7 ounces weight required.

Delivery of the 4,500 vehicles began in June 1941 and the army decided they needed to choose a design fits all. Finally we chose the Willys design (Go-devil engine mechanical solutions Bantam) with some modifications incorporating features Ford and Bantam. In July 1941, Willys was awarded a contract for 16,000 vehicles. That same year, the Quartermaster Corps Willys-Overland army ordered to spend her designs Ford to increase production.

During World War II, Willys-Overland and Ford produced 600,000 Jeeps, Willys produced more than 368,000 and the little Bantam only 2,675, most of which were ceded to Britain and the Soviet Union as a result of the Lend-Lease Act (Bantam ceased production just before the Japanese attack aPearl Harbor).

When they created the first Jeep was not what today is known as 4x4 segment in the field of utility. The main customers of the Jeep were the Allied Forces who tried to impose peace in a world torn apart by the battles of World War II. It was designed as the replacement for the motorcycle used to carry messages between the various units of the U.S. Army, however, only a few of the first Jeep vehicles manufactured until 1945 remained in the United States. Instead, hundreds of thousands of these vehicles were sent to Europe, Africa and the Pacific.

source :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep