Today, Jeep stands alone as a brand in its own right, however, for the first three decades of the marque’s life it was known, formally and informally, as Willys Jeep.

That’s ironic, as Willys-Overland did not actually ‘invent’ the Jeep - that feat is attributed to engineer Karl Probst, working at the American Bantam Car Company in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Created to respond to a World War II Quartermaster Corps RFP for a light 4x4 vehicle, Bantam’s entry met the specification requirements but was underpowered compared to the competitor from Willys, which turned out to be too heavy.

Ford’s Pygmy was praised for its agility, but its tractor engine was also underpowered.

In the final accounting, the Willys was judged best value.

Bantam, moreover, lacked the capacity to produce the quantity that the Army needed, so Willys was contracted as the principal supplier in July 1941 (Bantam got a contract for utility trailers as a consolation prize).

As the War outside the US continued, a seco...