Jeep called William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 3-4-19

Why is a Jeep called a Jeep. It has to do with Ford. But wasn’t the Jeep made by Willy’s-Overland Motors?

The Jeep was created by American Bantam of Butler, Pa. The Army loved it but figured American Bantam was too small to handle the contract so they required the work be split with Ford and Willy’s. The Willy’s model was called Willy’s MA (Model A or Military A). The Ford model was Ford GP (General Purpose). Say GP real fast.

Feel free to argue, though, if you want to say it was named for a cartoon character.

Jeep called William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 3-4-19
Jeep called William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 3-4-19
But jump like a Willy’s in four-wheel drive sounds better.

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