The full form of Ford GPW is “Government 80-inch Wheelbase Reconnaissance Car”. The GPW was a military vehicle produced by Ford during World War II. It was designed to replace the GPW jeeps that had become obsolete. The name GPW breaks down as follows: “G” stands for Government, “P” represents the 80-inch wheelbase, and “W” refers to Willys, as they were the designers of the original blueprints on which the jeeps were based. Ford built over 300,000 GPW military jeeps during the war, which accounted for roughly half of all jeeps built for WWII.
Contents
- Did Ford make a military Jeep?
- Was Willys made by Jeep?
- Is a Willys MB a Jeep?
- What makes a Willys Jeep special?
- What replaced the army Jeep?
- What is the difference between Willys MB and GPW?
- How many Ford GPW were made?
- What’s the difference between a Ford Jeep and a Willys Jeep?
- What does Ford GPW stand for?
- What engine does a Ford GPW have?
Did Ford make a military Jeep?
The Ford GPW (commonly known as a Jeep or jeep, formally as the U.S. Army Truck, 1/4 ton, 4×4), and its Willys MB counterpart, are four-wheel drive utility vehicles that were manufactured during World War II.
Was Willys made by Jeep?
Willys-Overland was purchased by Kaiser Manufacturing Co. in 1953. In 1963, the company dropped the Willys name, becoming Kaiser-Jeep Corp. Six years later, in 1969, the company was acquired by American Motors.
Is a Willys MB a Jeep?
THE FIRST CIVILIAN JEEP® BRAND VEHICLE (CJ)
The mighty Willys MB emerged out of the cauldron of war ready for peace time service.
What makes a Willys Jeep special?
The Willys is a unique trim because it offers off-roading prowess for a cheaper starting price than the Jeep Rubicon and offers some of the same off-roading packages as the higher level Rubicon.
What replaced the army Jeep?
Post-war. The U.S. revised its jeep into the Willys M38 and M38A1, which was used in the Korean War. It was followed in 1960 by the M151 jeep, which was designed with Ford. By the mid-1980s, this role would be taken over by the larger and heavier Humvee, which would be used as a combat vehicle in Iraq.
What is the difference between Willys MB and GPW?
A simple way to tell a Ford GPW from a Willys MB is that the front frame cross-member under the radiator is square on the GPW and round on the MB, though Willys bodies, engines and other components can be switched to Ford frames and vice-versa. This was often done by the military itself, especially after the war.
How many Ford GPW were made?
Beginning in late 1941, the Jeep was standardized with the Spicer differential, the Go-Devil engine, and the Ford bodywork configuration. Production of the Jeep as the Willys Model MB and the Ford Model GPW resulted 639, 235 being produced during the war, with Willys producing over 360,000 of them.
What’s the difference between a Ford Jeep and a Willys Jeep?
Predictably, there were still many minor differences; the Ford chassis had an inverted U-shaped front cross member instead of a tubular bar, and a Ford script letter “F” was stamped onto many small parts.
What does Ford GPW stand for?
According to the Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, California, the name stands for, G: Government contract, P: 80-inch wheelbase, and W: Willys design. The Willys produced version of the vehicle is known as the MB, which is the direct ancestor of the first civilian Jeep: the CJ-2a.
What engine does a Ford GPW have?
The Willys L134 (nicknamed Go Devil) is a straight-4 flathead automobile engine that was made famous in the Willys MB and Ford GPW Jeep produced during World War II. It powered nearly all the Jeep vehicles built for the U.S. and Allies. It was later used in a variety of civilian Jeep vehicles.
