History of the Jeep brand
As soon as we hear the word Jeep, we immediately associate it with the concept of an SUV. Every car company has its own history, the history of Jeep is deeply rooted. This company has been manufacturing off-road vehicles for over 60 years.
The Jeep brand is part of and owned by Fiat Chrysler Avtomobile Corporation. The headquarters are located in Toledo.
The history of the Jeep brand begins on the eve of World War II. At the beginning of 1940, the United States was actively preparing for war, one of the tasks of the American armed forces was the creation of a reconnaissance four-wheel drive vehicle. At that time, the conditions were extremely tough, and the terms were extremely short. Meogo, namely 135 different firms and companies with a certain specialization, was offered the implementation of this project. Only three companies gave a satisfactory response, including Ford, American Bentam and Willys Overland. The latter company, in turn, prepared the first sketches of the project, which was soon implemented in the form of the Jeep car, which soon became world famous.
It was this company that established the priority right to manufacture off-road vehicles for the US armed forces. A large number of machines have been invented and tested in the field. This company was given a non-exclusive license, as the army required an incredibly large number of cars. The second place was taken by Ford Motor Company. And by the end of the war, almost 362 and almost 000 copies were produced, and already in 278 Willys Overland secured the right to the Jeep brand, after a lawsuit with American Bentam.
On a par with the military version of the car, Willys Overland decided to release a civilian copy, referred to as CJ (short for Civilian Jeep). There were changes in the body, the headlights became smaller, the gearbox was improved, and so on. Such versions became the foundation for the recreation of the production type of the new car.
Founder
The first military off-road vehicle was created by American designer Karl Probst in 1940.
Karl Probst was born on October 20, 1883 in Point Pleasant. From childhood he was interested in engineering. He entered college in Ohio, graduating in 1906 with a degree in engineering. Then he worked at the American Bantam automobile company.
A world-famous name was brought to him by the project to create a model of a military SUV. Since it was developed for military needs, the deadlines were extremely tight, up to 49 days were given to study the layout, and a number of strict technical requirements for the creation of an SUV were prepared.
Karl Probst designed the future SUV at lightning speed. It took him two days to complete the project. And in the same 1940, the car was already being tested at one of the military bases in Maryland. The project was approved, despite some technical comments from the excessive weight of the machine. Further, the car was upgraded by other companies.
Karl Probst ceased to exist on 25 August 1963 in Dayton.
Thus, he made a great contribution to the history of the automotive industry.
In 1953, Kaizer Fraiser acquired Willys Overland, and in 1969 the trademark was already part of the American Motors Co corporation, which, in turn, in 1987 was under the total control of the Chrysler corporation. Since 1988, the Jepp brand has been part of the Daimler Chrysler Corporation.
The military jeep awarded the world fame to Willys Overland.
Emblem
Until 1950, namely before the lawsuit with American Bentam, the logo of the produced cars was “Willys”, but after the proceedings it was replaced by the “Jeep” emblem.
The logo was depicted on the front of the car: between the two headlights there is a radiator grill, above which the emblem itself. The color of the emblem is made in a military style, namely in dark green. This determines a lot, since the car was originally created for military purposes.
At the present stage, the logo is executed in a silver steel color, thus characterizing the authenticity of the masculine trait. He carries a certain brevity and severity.
Automotive brand history in models
As mentioned earlier, the company for the manufacture of military vehicles has made priority on civilian versions of the car.
At the end of the war, in 1946, the first car was presented with a station wagon body, which was completely steel. The car had good technical characteristics, speed up to 105 km / h and a capacity of 7 people, had four-wheel drive (initially only two).
1949 was an equally productive year for Jeep, as the first Sport Gi was launched. It prevailed with its openness and the presence of curtains, thereby displacing the side windows. Four-wheel drive was not installed as it was originally a recreational version of the car.
Also in the same year, a pickup truck was demonstrated, which was a kind of “assistant”, a station wagon in many areas, mostly farming.
The breakthrough in 1953 was the CJ ЗB model. The body was modernized, it was modified and had nothing to do with the pre-war body of an army car. A four-cylinder engine and a new massive radiator grille were appreciated for originality and comfort in driving. This model was discontinued in 1968.
In 1954, after the purchase of Willys Overland by Kaizer Fraiser, the CJ 5 model was released. It differed from the previous model in visual characteristics, first of all, in design, reduction in the size of the car, which in turn made it even better for hard-to-reach surroundings.
The revolution was made by the Wagoneer, which went down in history in 1962. It was this car that laid the foundation for the assembly of subsequent new sports station wagons. A lot of things have been modernized, for example, a six-cylinder engine, on top of which is a cam, a gearbox has become an automatic, and an independent suspension on wheels at the front has also appeared. The Wagoneer was mass-assembled. After receiving the V6 Vigiliant (250 power unit), in 1965 the SuperWagoneer was improved and released. Both of these models are part of the J.
Style, sporty look, originality - all this is said about the appearance of the Cherokee in 1974. Initially, this model had two doors, but when released in 1977 - already all four doors. It is this model that can be considered the most popular of all Jeep models.
The limited edition Wagoneer Limited with leather interior and chrome trim saw the world in 1978.
1984 was the launch of the Jeep Cherokee XJ and Wagoneer Sport Wagon tandem. Their debut was characterized by the strength of these models, compactness, power, one-piece body. Both models became wildly popular in the market.
The heir to the CJ is the Wrangler, released in 1984. The design was improved, as well as the configuration of gasoline engines: four cylinders and six.
In 1988, the Comanche made its debut with a pickup body.
The legendary car was released in 1992 and conquered the whole world, yes, exactly - this is the Grand Cherokee! For the sake of assembling this model, a high-tech factory was built. Quadra Trac is a completely new all-wheel drive system that has been introduced into a new car model. In addition, a five-speed manual gearbox was created, the technical part of the blocking system was modernized, affecting all four wheels, as well as the creation of electric windows. The design of the car and the interior were well thought out, right down to the leather steering wheel. A limited edition of the "world's fastest SUV" debuted in 1998 as the Grand Cherokee Limited. It was the complete set of the V8 engine (almost 6 liters), the uniqueness of the radiator grill that gave the automaker the right to award it with such a title.
The appearance in 2006 of the Jeep Commander made another splash. Created through the Grand Cherokee platform, the model was considered to have a seating capacity of 7 people, equipped with an all-new QuadraDrive2 transmission. The front-wheel drive platform, as well as the independence of the front and rear suspensions, were characteristic of the Compass model released in the same year.
Taking acceleration in five seconds from 0 to 100 km / h is inherent in the GrandCherokee SRT8 model, also released in 2006. This car has won people's sympathy for its reliability, practicality and quality.
Grand Cherokee 2001 is one of the most popular SUVs in the world. Such a merit is highly justified by the advantages of the car, the modernization of the engine. Among all-wheel drive cars - the model takes a priority place. Particular attention is occupied by the original dynamics of the car.
