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DIGITAL MAGAZINE 9 Jeep, the Jeep grille and related logos, vehicle model names and trade dress are trademarks of FCA US LLC and used under license by Premium & Collectibles Trading Co ltd. ©2021 FCA US LLC. CONTENTS THE JEEP STORY ® 1 A WINNING BALANCE THE JEEP Brand ® 6 WAGONEER © 2021 YOUR COLLECTION Editorial Manager: Phil Hunt Eaglemoss Inc. Build the WIllys MB Jeep® Design Manager: Caroline Grimshaw 315 West 36th Street is available by monthly subscription. New York, NY 10018 www.build-willysjeep.com Packaged by: Milanoedit srl, www.milanoedit.com Eaglemoss Ltd., US CUSTOMER SERVICE Premier Place, For questions about the collection, Researcher/writer: Roberto Bruciamonti 2 & A Half Devonshire Square, replacements and substitutions, London, EC2M 4UJ, UK or to cancel, pause or modify Photography credits: © NARA (p.1), your subscription, please call © Bruciamonti (pp.2, 3, 4, 5), 144 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, our US Customer Service team © FCA (pp.6, 7, 8, 9) 92200 NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, at 800-261-6898, or email us at France [email protected] Die-Cast Club® 2021 All rights reserved Jeep, the Jeep grille and related logos, vehicle model names and trade dress are trademarks of FCA US LLC and used under license by Premium & Collectibles Trading Co ltd. ©2021 FCA US LLC. THE JEEP® STORY A WINNING BALANCE A WINNING BALANCE ▲ The contract included a 90-day It was the combination of various factors (or 4,000-mile/6,437-km) guarantee, provided the vehicle that enabled Willys to beat off its rivals. was regularly maintained. he supremacy of Willys over its rivals extant government contracts in process at during the trials for winning the contract the time, so producing the Jeep® wouldn’t to supply the first Jeep vehicles to have any impact in terms of slowing down the T ® the government was mainly attributed to supplies of any other military equipment; it the superiority of the “Go Devil” engine. In also helped that the engine was produced in- reality, however, the quality of its engine was house using existing machinery. Lastly, Willys- just one of the reasons for the success of the Overland was practically the only major US car Willys 4x4: we shouldn’t overlook the fact that manufacturer to have historically focused its the manufacturer was a major player in the production on economy cars. industry at the time, although it was a far cry Naturally, we are talking about American from the size and capacity that Ford could economy cars, which were quite different count on. Furthermore, Willys didn’t have any from European models. Unlike Bantam, which 1 THE JEEP® STORY A WINNING BALANCE had tried, ever since the end of the 1920s, to the overall body. This becomes obviously launch its British-style economy cars in the US apparent when observing photographs of as second cars, Willys-Overland’s production the Willys Quad prototype: compared to its carefully focused on what had the potential adversaries, the Willys vehicle focused on for becoming the car of the American working practicality and reliability and not on elegant class. This car would lines – these qualities be cheap to buy and would undoubtedly run, with limited cubic The manufacturer was a major prove more useful to capacity compared to player in the industry, although soldiers engaged in war normal US standards, zones, than car design but not to the extent that it was a far cry from the size elements. Another very performance, reliability, and capacity that Ford valid reason for this and durability were was the fact that, in compromised. could count on. order to assemble the The experience vehicle, Willys was able gained by the manufacturer’s technical to simply modify the elements which were departments in designing this type of car already in production and were available in its was brought to bear on research efforts warehouses – in particular, those used on the for the Jeep® , in particular in developing Willys commercial sedans in the second half the structure, the suspension system, and of the 1930s. The Willys MB chassis had a classic structure, even for the period – it was based on steel longerons and crossbeams. 2 THE JEEP® STORY A WINNING BALANCE The same chassis structure was later used for all of the Jeep® CJs and is still used on today’s JLs. The Jeep® vehicle’s entire structure was at that time. In particular, it had a rather dated developed according to these principles, timing system with side valves, a characteristic hence why the military’s request to commence that was vital for limiting the vehicle’s height the mass production of vehicles wouldn’t and enabling it to remain within the stipulated call for the acquisition limits laid down by the of new machinery or military authorities. the opening of new The Willys Jeep® The “skeleton” of production lines. In the Jeep was provided was a very modern vehicle, ® fact, the Willys Jeep® by a sturdy structure was, at least from a and highly logical. with longerons and technical standpoint, a crossbeams, a solution very modern vehicle, and still used on the most highly logical, but was constructed according recent Jeep® Wranglers. It was robust but to very traditional designs and methods. light, and made using steel components with Even the “Go Devil”, the power and torque thicknesses and sizes that were compatible of which put the Jeep® head and shoulders with the machines already being used to above its rivals, wasn’t exactly state-of-the-art produce the chassis of other Willys-Overland 3 THE JEEP® STORY A WINNING BALANCE vehicles. The suspensions, with a solid at the Willys-Overland plant or at the factories double-axle and four longitudinal leaf springs, of its usual suppliers – with only limited had a very classic shape and incorporated forming depths required, they were very telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers (called simple to manufacture. “aeronautical” in those days). The hydraulic The MB had a three-gear transmission component could be adjusted to adapt (T-84, produced by Borg-Warner), with a the response of the shock absorbers to transfer case (Dana-Spicer Model 18) which suit the types of terrain the vehicle would enabled the vehicle to operate as a rear-wheel predominantly be used on. drive on normal roads, or as a four-wheel During the drive when off-road development of the or on surfaces where vehicle from the Its structure and the thickness the holding was poor. prototype through to of the sheet metal panels Thanks to the two-speed the finished article, the reduction transmission, shape of the Willys Jeep® remained largely unchanged. normal and creeper, the body underwent a series Jeep® was capable of of radical modifications, climbing fully loaded – but its structure and the thickness of the sheet and with some power left to spare – up terrain metal panels remained largely unchanged. with a gradeability of up to 60% (30°). It could Indeed, for the final version of the body also drive at walking pace (2 mph/3.5 km/h) used on the MB, every single one of its for a full day with no jerking or issues, and components could be easily produced either then still be able to reach top speed (in excess The identification number on the Willys chassis was inscribed on a label positioned at the top end of the left longeron. 4 THE JEEP® STORY A WINNING BALANCE The Jeep® MBs included a dedicated plate to support the machine gun. of 62 mph/100 kmh) and maintain it without than either of Willys’ competitors). It also issue for up to 100 consecutive hours. performed well in terms of braking distance Overall, the future Jeep® offered the best and fuel consumption, it had a satisfactory balance compared to its rivals, and it was turning circle of 19.4 ft (5.9 m), and the testing this feature, together with the superiority of personnel particularly appreciated the driving its engine, that led to position of the Willys. the decision to place In addition to the the order for the first The overall rating engine’s superiority, batch of vehicles with for the Willys MB there were other aspects Willys-Overland. The in which the Willys Rifkind Report included was the highest. vehicle proved to be far a comparison between better in comparison to the three models via those of the other two a series of rankings, and it showed that manufacturers. There were quite a number of the overall rating for the Willys MB was the complaints about the rival vehicles, including highest: the Toledo manufacturer’s 4x4 imprecise steering, power problems when scored maximum points for off-road mobility, climbing very steep inclines, limited legroom, climbing ability, and maximum speed (the awkward position of the controls, and prototype was at least 10 mph/16 km/h faster mediocre performance. 5 THE JEEP® BRAND WAGONEER WAGONEER ▲ Extreme comfort The Wagoneer model combined technical and excellent on-road ability with effortless elegance. performance set the Jeep® Wagoneer apart. owards the end of the 1950s, the significant success on the international market, Jeep® Station Wagon was starting sales in the US were starting to slow down. T to show its age, both mechanically A further update to the Station Wagon, and aesthetically. It continued to take its production of which commenced in 1946 (and inspiration from the classic styles and lines remained available in the car manufacturer’s derived from the look of the Willys MB, but US catalog listings until 1965), was rejected in a series of additions and modifications over the initial phases of development.