#0862 Willys Jeep and Dodge Commander

Normandy 1944

There are two unconfirmed theories about the origin of the name "Jeep". In 1950, Willys Overland from Toledo / Ohio registered the brand name. 10 years earlier, due to US Army requirements, Willys built the robust, simple and easy-to-repair all-rounder, an ancestor of all off-road vehicles. Some of the Army requirement forms for the off-road vehicle spoke of "GP", i.e. of "general purpose". Pronounced GP is similar to the name "Jeep", which was later used universally in the US Army. This would be one explanation - but the other is more sympathetic: in the comic "Popeye" the character of "Eugene the Jeep" appears. Who always helped the sailor Popeye when his strength failed despite the spinach. Willys Overland built over 370,000 Jeeps for the US Army during World War II - and its track record continued for a long time - even outside of military use. In 1987, Chrysler bought the brand name, which has survived to this day and still stands independently for the basic idea of ​​the off-road vehicle.