Willys MB

Built to a tight U.S. Army specification, the MB measured 3,327 mm in length and 1,575 mm in width, riding on an 80-inch wheelbase. A 60 hp “Go-Devil” 134 cu in side-valve four drove through a three-speed Warner gearbox and two-speed transfer case, delivering power to live axles on leaf springs. Key features included the fold-flat windshield, separate headlights protected by a sturdy grille of seven vertical slots, and lightweight 1,040 kg curb weight that let it float empty and ford up to 21 inches of water.

Willys-Overland won the October 1940 prototype contract, but when demand outran capacity, Ford’s River Rouge and Louisville plants joined the effort in 1942. Ford stamped identical parts with an “F” suffix and called its variant the GPW. Despite detail differences—Ford used welded vs. Willys’ riveted frame horns—parts were strictly fungible. Peak output topped 1,000 units per day, furnishing every branch of U.S. and Allied militaries with ambulance, reconnaissance, radio, and machine-gun carrier variants worldwide.

Service surplus flooded the civilian market after V-J Day, spurring a boom in farming, ranching, and exploration. Willys trademarked “Jeep,” refined the design, and launched the CJ-2A in 1945—essentially an MB with a tailgate, headlights in the grille, and civilian paint. The architecture of two rigid live axles, part-time four-wheel drive, and compact proportions would define the Jeep marque and later influence everything from the Land Rover Series I to the Toyota Land Cruiser.