11 Fun Facts About Jeeps

Jeep has a long history of creating vehicles for those who need to go places other vehicles can’t take them, whether that’s going on a safari, driving on the beach, or climbing rocky mountain sides. If you live in Southern California, you probably see a lot of Jeeps with tops off and getting out into nature on the many trails throughout this great state. For us, Jeeps are almost a way of life, as any Jeep dealer in California can probably tell you. For a brand as famous as Jeep, they are bound to have some unique features and history worth exploring. So, let’s check out eleven fun facts about Jeeps.

Fun Fact #1

Long before Jeep became the brand of adventure, it was the brand that delivered the first prototype for World War II ally use, and it was first revealed on Armistice Day. The US Army asked 135 car manufacturers for designs of a “light reconnaissance” vehicle and got only three responses. Willys-Overland was one of those three, and the design of the Quad was born. This was the very first Jeep to be built, and it was sent overseas for ally use in England and Russia.

Fun Fact #2

The New York Museum of Modern Art hosts a Willys MB Jeep as part of a collection of eight other vehicles considered to be machine art. Much of this sentiment came about after Jeeps became so vital to the allies as they used them for countless jobs, and the Jeeps held up without fail. Anything from plowing snow to being used as tractors and ambulances, the military got creative with their Jeeps, and the Jeeps were loyal to the allies. From the destruction of D Day to the New York MOMA, the Jeep has gone everywhere and done everything.

Fun Fact #3

Jeeps today feature the now familiar seven-slot grille design, but that only started to be Jeep’s signature in the 1990s. In years prior to that decade, Jeep had plenty of other grille designs with different numbers of slots. Even though a lawsuit came about with Hummer over the use of the seven-slot grille, it was actually Ford that built the first vehicle to feature the seven-slot grille. The model in question was Ford’s prototype for their 1941 GP, meant for use in the war effort. Ford was one of the three manufacturers which responded to the US Army’s request for military vehicles.

Fun Fact #4

Between 1949 and 1964, all Zamboni ice resurfacing machines were built with either a full Jeep or a Jeep chassis. It cut the resurfacing time by a third, but it might never have happened without Popular Science magazine requesting readers to send in their creative Jeep applications for cash prizes. An explosion of new uses for Jeeps came about in response, many of which were related to farm machines. For many years, Jeeps were sold as farm equipment for those farmers who couldn’t afford more expensive machines. Jeeps were modified for many farm uses in the years after World War II.

Fun Fact #5

Did you know that the term “tailgate party” originated with Jeep’s first station wagon? The 1946 Jeep Station Wagon featured a fold-down tailgate, which people utilized for picnics and get-togethers outdoors. This wagon also had the first steel siding, which was an upgrade from the wooden siding of other wagons of the day, and it was also proposed as a delivery vehicle. Later, the wagon became the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was the first to build a unibody frame for a four-wheel drive vehicle, now a standard for SUVs.

Fun Fact #6

In 2008, Nintendo released a game called “Jeep Thrills” for the Wii game platform. You could choose one of 18 different types of models from Jeep history, and you raced through the off-road landscapes of jungles, mountains, and snow. It featured everything from the earliest Willys Jeep to the Wrangler and is still available for sale today for those who may have a Wii console.

Fun Fact #7

The famous TV show M*A*S*H features the M38 Jeep, which was the first to be able to completely submerge in water. It was given a waterproofed system with specialized vent tubes for air to exchange with the engine systems while underwater. Anyone who watched the show regularly saw generals and officers arriving at the MASH unit in an M38, but it was also frequently driven by a character named Radar, who was a communications specialist for the officers in charge of the unit. In the series, the M38 Jeep was part of almost every episode.

Fun Fact #8

Jeep Wagoneer featured the first ever automatic transmission in a 4×4 vehicle in 1962, famously designed by Brooks Steven. Now a well-loved classic, the Wagoneer of the 60s was a luxury SUV for families who wanted the benefit of four-wheel drive. It also had the first independent front suspension and several other industry firsts, including being part of the longest-ever production run of a continuous platform in US history. Jeep has taken bold steps and is bringing back the Wagoneer with new modern styling and design that honors the original.

Fun Fact #9

Of all the Jeep models, the CJ-5 had the longest production run as a single model and is assumed to have been driven on the most trails of any other Jeep in history. The CJ model saw many different iterations over its 30 years of production, even including a camper version, which allowed for the camper to be detached—another industry first. In 1983, the last of the CJ-5 models were produced, though the Laredo trim level still offered in modern vehicles has its roots in the original CJ-5 models.

Fun Fact #10

The last vehicle to be sold in America with a carburetor was a Jeep Grand Wagoneer in 1991, and it was stamped with a “final edition” badge as a token to its last year of production. It turned out not to be quite so final, however, when Jeep resurfaced the Grand Wagoneer as a top-tier full-size SUV in 1993. True to its roots, the Grand Wagoneer was fully loaded with all the most desirable features, including that wood-grain siding that is iconic of station wagons.

Fun Fact #11

Jeep owners are known for something called the Jeep Wave, a fun fact most Jeep owners already know. Unwritten rules about Jeep dedication have seeded this tradition amongst Jeep owners, who will wave to each other to acknowledge their love for the brand. Of course, the wave has now become a program offered by Jeep itself for extra benefits with maintenance, warranties, and customer support included.

Love These Facts? Join the Jeep Family Today with Orange Coast CJDR!

Jeeps are tied deeply to world history in ways most of us probably don’t consider as we’re enjoying the fun of discovering new trails and conquering new outdoor places. Still, the Jeeps we enjoy today had their roots in creativity and durability that saved lives and made it possible for people to go where they had never gone before. With Jeeps being so versatile, they were the workhorses of American farmland and life-saving ambulances for military forces. So, while we race through the desert or climb up mountains, we can be grateful for the ingenuity in the original Willys Jeeps, which became the Jeeps we drive today. If you’d like to join the Jeep family, contact us at Orange Coast CJDR in Costa Mesa, CA, today.