Jeep is one of the great icons in the car market and looks back on a very eventful history. In his book “Jeep – Eight Decades From Willys to Wrangler”, Patrick R. Foster describes the ups and downs of the brand and its models, from the Willys to the current Wrangler JL.
The Jeep is a legend, there’s no doubt about that. Now everyone can define a legend however they like, but to be produced for over eight decades and more, to have weathered and survived various crises and different parent companies and to have lost none of its original fascination, only a handful of cars can truly claim that. And the Willys Jeep may also call itself the forefather of off-road vehicles for the military and for everyone. That, in fact, only it can do.
Jeep, an eventful brand in words and pictures
The book begins with a homage to the small, agile and unstoppable Jeep Willys, which earned its reputation in the war. It all began with the search for a small but capable off-road vehicle for the American military. They were looking for a vehicle for reconnaissance and message transport. In 1932 they experimented with a small vehicle from the American Austin Company. But the military wasn’t really satisfied. By 1940 the pressure to find a vehicle was very high, and it was to be an American one. That was the chance for Bantam Motors, the successor to the American Austin Company. With great self-confidence, a bit of cheek and the odd trick, they managed to outdo other competitors. Among them was a name that later became very well known: Willys Overland.
But fortune wasn’t loyal to Bantam. True, they set the benchmark and their vehicle was chosen, but the demand was so great that the military didn’t trust Bantam with that capacity. So the production contract went to three firms at once: Ford, Willys Overland and Bantam. With that, the small carmaker could never really profit from its great coup and disappeared. What remained was Willys Overland, and this is where the story really gets going.
But that was just one episode in the eventful history of the Jeep. There were many lows and management mistakes, such as years of ignoring the demand for Jeep vehicles, which cost the brand valuable market share, then the years of the oil crisis, the threatened loss of the brand in favour of Dodge, and lastly the sale of Chrysler to Mercedes, who stifled further development. Set against this, fortunately, were very successful models that thrilled buyers in the USA and all over the world again and again, which is still the case today.
The book leads the reader through all these highs and lows and describes the models of the individual decades. And there were many: Wagoneer, Commando, Cherokee, Gladiator and of course all the models and special editions that led from the Willys to the Wrangler. Many pictures show the vehicles and special models, though sadly often offset from the pages on which they’re discussed.
Verdict on “From Willys to Wrangler”
Sure, this book belongs in the collection of a 4×4 fan and a Jeep lover anyway. On the 192 pages of “Jeep – Eight Decades From Willys to Wrangler”, the interested reader will find a comprehensive yet not overlong work on the Jeep brand. There are many details and background facts that are necessary to understand the history of Jeep. Besides Foster, who has been writing about the car industry for thirty years, other experts on individual brands and the American car industry contributed to the book.
For me, as a die-hard fan of the British counterpart to the Jeep Wrangler, the world was, by the way, already back in order at the start of the book, when I was able to read there that the Jeep, on which the Land Rover is based, is in turn based on the British Austin.
Price: 15.99 euros incl. VAT
Pages: 192
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0760366554
Order yourself “Jeep – Eight Decades From Willys to Wrangler” on Amazon.
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