New Jeep concept marks 75th anniversary

Jeep has fashioned a new concept vehicle to commemorate its 75th anniversary, which fell on July 15th this year.

Named the Wrangler 75th Salute, the design study makes the current production vehicle seem almost civilised. Doors have been removed and the vehicle is liberally finished in olive drab.

"We are creating this unique Jeep Wrangler 75th Salute concept vehicle in celebration of the brand's legendary history, and to demonstrate that 75 years later, today's iconic Jeep Wrangler is instantly recognizable and clearly connected to the original Willys MB," said Mike Manley, Head of Jeep Brand – FCA Global.

Features distinguishing the Wrangler 75th from the Wrangler Sport on which it is based comprise 16-inch steel wheels, 32-inch military non-directional tires, bonnet latches, a rear-mounted spare tyre, steel front and rear bumpers with tow hooks and low back canvas seats. The drivetrain is the standard 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 driving through a six-speed manual transmission.

Willys put the Jeep into production five months prior to the Japanese Navy launching an attack on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. History is unclear as to how the Jeep got its name. One suggestion is that the vehicle was a 'general purpose' vehicle (abbreviated to 'GP' and then further truncated to just the one syllable). Another has it that the vehicle was named by US servicemen, so impressed with the vehicle's off-road ability – apparently able to come and go with almost magical ability – that they named it for Eugene the Jeep, a fictional animal appearing in the Popeye comic strip, and capable of supernatural powers.

The Willys Overland entry for the US Army's tender for a light military vehicle beat rivals from American Bantam and Ford, although Ford ended up building the Jeep later in the Second World War, after demand for the Jeep outstripped Willys Overland's production capacity.

Willys Overland continued building the Jeep after the war, introducing the off-road machine to the civilian market – just as AM General did with the Hummer decades later.

Subsequently Willys Overland joined with other American brands to form American Motors, which was eventually acquired by the Chrysler Corporation, which kept the Jeep brand alive and thriving during the years of the DaimlerChrysler merger and more recently Chrysler's acquisition by Fiat.
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