1943 Ford GPW Jeep

When the army needed a replacement for the vehicles they had been using new more modern standards for these vehicles were to be used. The military submitted these specifications to American auto makers with request for submissions as quickly as possible. The engine had to run smoothly anywhere from 3 to 50 miles per hour with a rectangular shaped body. The vehicle was also required a windshield that folded down, have three bucket seats, have blackout driving lights and two speed transfer case with four wheel drive. The ability to literally drive across any terrain suddenly became a necessity for the military during the onset of World War II. Over 135 companies had been invited to submit their vehicle designs but only three did the Ford Motor Company, the American Bantam Company and Willys-Overland, with the latter being the selected design. More than 650,000 'Jeeps' were manufactured during the 1940's.The purchase price for the Jeeps was just $738.74 each. The ultimate irony to the situation is Ford Motor Company ended up being one of the largest manufacturers of the Willys-Overland design!

This particular Ford manufactured GPW Jeep was assembled in August of 1943 under the military order contract F-4, the 4th of 5 contracts Ford was involved in. Powered by the correct 4 cylinder with 3 speed transmission and 2 speed 4 wheel drive transfer case, this Jeep has been collector owned for many years but when it arrived here at LMC had not seen any use in quite some time. A small amount of coaxing later and it was back in action. A remarkably solid example to this day it is equipped with the fold down windshield, black out driving lights and a very rarely seen heater. This Jeep has no doubt lived an eventful existence since 1943 and today still functions well as a fun 4 wheel drive which shows its purpose built design. The early Jeeps remain a piece of both automotive and military history, this example is a great piece to be preserved or restored and enjoyed for many years to come.