A few weeks ago, we featured the prototype 1969 Jeep XJ001 4×4 sports car. Today we have another Jeep prototype, but we are going back to the companies army roots. Being that the Bobcat was designed to be an air drop vehicle, it weighed only 1475lbs. The tiny Willys Jeep shared a lot of parts with the M-38 and M38-A1, although the frame was from the MB tooling. Sadly, the Willys Jeep Bobcat never made the production line. However, we are still looking for more information about it. Does know more?
Does anyone have any information on this World War 2 photo? It was tagged “Pacific Beach Landing WW2 Willys Jeep”
What a great shot of a M38A1 in the desert! Via Vintage Military Trucks.com
Hard for me to tell, but is this a Dodge Power Wagon or one of the larger Chevrolet trucks?
Apparently this is an International Harvester Corporation truck used by the USMC. Does anyone have more information about this?
Back when Jeeps were simple to work on!
As you may be aware, the Bantam Reconnaissance Car is the original Jeep based vehicle. On July 11, 1940 the USA Army was fully involved in World War 2. They sent out a tender that was to be received by July 22, only 11 days later! Manufacturers were given 49 days to submit their first prototype and 75 days for completion of 70 test vehicles. The Army’s Ordnance Technical Committee specifications were equally demanding: the vehicle would be four-wheel drive, have a crew of three on a wheelbase of no more than 75 (later 80) inches and tracks no more than 47 inches, feature a fold-down windshield, 660 lb payload and be powered by an engine capable of 85 ft·lbf (115 N·m) of torque. The most daunting demand, however, was an empty weight of no more than 1300 lb (590 kg)…
I do not have much information, but I believe this event was held in Vaux-sur-Sûre, Belgium. What a great collection of vintage military Jeeps and other vehicles! I love the 6×6 Willys Jeep!
Thousands of army trucks, jeeps, and parts were dumped on the island of Okinawa, Japan after World War 2.
Here is another look at some old World War 2 Willys Jeep photos…
