Not wanting to have Ford parts end up on Willys vehicles without getting the credit, Ford stamped every one of their parts – right down to individual nuts and bolts – with a script 'F'.
Ww2dbaseBy October 1941, it became apparent Willys-Overland could not keep up with the production demand and Ford was contracted to produce them as well but the Army required both to produce vehicles with interchangeable parts. Whatever better design features the Bantam and Ford entries had were incorporated into the Willys car at this time, causing the Willys "A" designation to become "B" and thus the vehicles were tagged "MB." One example of this design consolidation was the positioning of the gasoline tank in placing it directly beneath the driver's seat, combining the two main target areas into one, it would lessen the chance of a single catastrophic hit. Willys won the contract, mostly due to its more powerful engine and lower cost. Ww2dbaseBy July 1941, the War Department desired to standardize and selected a single manufacturer to supply them with the next order for another 16,000 vehicles.
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The Fords were designated "GP": "G" for "Government" and "P" was Ford's code for passenger cars with 80-inch wheelbases. After losing 240 lbs, Willys' changed the designation to "MA": "Military" model "A". Bantam's became the BRC 40 (and the company ceased motor vehicle production after the last one was built in December 1941). Ww2dbaseFor these respective initial production runs, each vehicle received revisions and a new name. It was also acknowledged at this time the original weight limit (which Bantam had ignored) was unrealistic, and it was raised to 2160 lbs (980 kg). US armed forces were already under such pressure that all three cars were declared acceptable and orders for 1500 units per company were given. The two pilot models, the Willys Quad and the Ford Pygmy, turned out to be very similar to each other and were joined in testing by Bantam's entry, now called the Bantam Reconnaissance Car 60 (BRC 60). Ww2dbaseBy November 1940 Ford and Willys each submitted prototypes to compete with Bantam. Moreover, the War Department forwarded the Bantam blueprints to Ford and Willys, claiming the government owned the design. As testing of the Bantam prototype took place, Ford and Willys technical representatives were given ample opportunity to study the vehicle's performance. Ww2dbaseSince Bantam did not have the production capacity to deliver on the scale needed by the War Department, the two losing bidders, Ford and Willys, were encouraged to complete their own pilot models for testing. Bantam built their first prototype, officially named the "Pilot" but nicknamed the "Blitz Buggy" and later "Old Number One." It was delivered to the Army vehicle test center at Camp Holabird, Maryland on September 23, 1940. Though Willys-Overland was the low bidder, Bantam received the bid, being the only company committing to deliver a pilot model in 49 days and production examples in 75 days. Ww2dbaseOnly three companies entered: American Bantam Car Company, Willys-Overland Motors, and the Ford Motor Company. The most daunting demand, however, was that it have an empty weight of no more than 1300 lbs (590 kg). Ww2dbaseThe Army's specifications were equally demanding: a general purpose personnel or cargo carrier especially adaptable for reconnaissance or command designated as 1/4-ton four-wheel drive Truck, crew of three, wheelbase of no more than 75 (later 80) inches, tracks no more than 47 inches, fold?down windshield, 660 lb payload, and be powered by an engine capable of 85 ft-lb (115 Nm) of torque. Companies' bids were to be received by just eleven days later, then they had 49 days to submit their first prototype and 75 days for completion of 70 required test vehicles 130 days in all to design and deliver the vehicles. automotive manufacturers to submit designs to replace its existing, aging light motor vehicles mostly motorcycles, sidecars, and some Ford Model T's. Ww2dbaseOn July 11, 1940, with World War II dawning near, the US Army approached 135 U.S. They made up 98% of all models built in WWII and they are the iconic World War II Jeep.
Ww2dbaseThe nearly identical Willys MB and Ford GPW reconnaissance cars were manufactured from 1941 to 1945. Ww2dbase "The Jeep, the Dakota, and the Landing Craft were the three tools that won the war." - Gen. Willys-Overland Motors/Ford Motor CompanyĪdditional Contributions By: Alan Chanter
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