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129 1102 Jeep The First 70 Years - 1967 M715 - Photo 35562819

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  • <strong>'67 M-715</strong><br /> Brad Luchsinger's '67 was fresh out of the resto room and looking much as a factory-fresh M-715 would have looked upon delivery to the Army. Known as the "Five-Quarter" for its 11/4-ton rated capacity, the M-715 was a heavily updated civilian truck. The only serious complaints over these trucks revolved around the 230ci OHC engine, which had been dropped in civilian Jeeps after 1965 but were resurrected for the military unit.
<strong>'67 M-715</strong><br /> Brad Luchsinger's '67 was fresh out of the resto room and looking much as a factory-fresh M-715 would have looked upon delivery to the Army. Known as the "Five-Quarter" for its 11/4-ton rated capacity, the M-715 was a heavily updated civilian truck. The only serious complaints over these trucks revolved around the 230ci OHC engine, which had been dropped in civilian Jeeps after 1965 but were resurrected for the military unit.
<strong>'40 Bantam BRC Pilot Model</strong><br /> When this unique rig was put through its paces in the fall of 1940, it was unique in the automotive world. The Bantam car parts bin was raided whenever possible on this first hand-built rig, hence the curvy fenders, hood, cowl dash, and various small parts. Much of that same stuff was incorporated into the subsequent 69 vehicles, though not the stylish fenders. It only lived a few months. In early 1941, it was damaged in a collision and not repaired. Or was it? The current theory, supported by some photographic evidence, is that some or all of it was recycled into a BRC-60 model, which was later tested by the Canadian military. That vehicle's fate is unknown at this time. <strong>'40 Bantam BRC-60</strong><br /> This is the very last Bantam BRC-60 known to exist, the seventh built of 69. It was donated to the Smithsonian during World War II, but is now on display at the Heinz Museum in Pittsburgh. It's very similar to the BRC Pilot, save the flat fenders. It's powered by a 112ci, 45hp Continental Four. <strong>'41 Willys MA, Bantam BRC-40, and Ford GP</strong><br /> Contrary to some versions of history, there was no direct competition between the three OE manufacturers for the first production contract. Each was tested individually to determine if it was fit for military service. After that, it mostly came down to a low bid. There was an official moment in the summer of 1941, however, just before Willys won the bid, when the three were tested side by side. It didn't have any influence on the contract but, in a nutshell, the Willys was lauded for its power and performance, the Ford for its layout, and the Bantam for its handling, braking and fuel economy. Of the three prestandardized models built, only 1,555 Willys MAs were built in 1941, and only some 30 remain today. They are very different from the standardized MB, even the mechanical parts. The BRC-40 in the center was the last jeep developed by Bantam. It was always the lightest and most nimble of the three prototypes. There were 2,605 built, and fewer than 100 remain today. The GP on the end was most numerous of the pre-standardized jeeps, with Ford cranking out between 4,500 and 5,700 units (the records conflict). Survivors may run as high as 250, but as with the other prestandardized jeeps, many of those are little more than a pile of parts with a serial number. <strong>'40 Willys-Overland Quad</strong><br /> Two Quads were built, one a four-wheel steering unit that was not tested. The original Quad disappeared from Willys-Overland in the early '50s. The Willys body was another literal interpretation of the original Army drawings and the BRC-60 example. The test Quad acquired some 5,000 test miles, used up two engines, and broke the chassis. <strong>'40 Ford Pygmy</strong><br /> The Ford Pygmy, shortly after its November 23, 1940 delivery, showing the body features the Army liked best of all three prototypes. The legendary T-handle hood latches, flat hood, grille-protected headlights, fold-down tubular windshield, and roomy interior were all design features that were later standardized. The original Pygmy survives at the Alabama Center for Military History in Huntsville. For years, it lived in the Henry Ford Museum but was sold to a private collector in the '80s. The Pygmy was powered by a 119ci, 45hp four-cylinder that was half of a 239ci Mercury V-8. The engine had been originally designed for the 9N Ford tractor of 1939, but was also used in '40-'42 Ford pickups. <strong>'42 Willys Slat-Grille</strong><br /> The first production Willys jeeps used a welded grille similar to the Ford prototype. They began appearing in late 1941 and were built into March of 1942 to the tune of just over 25,000 units. They had many different parts than the later-production stamped-grille MBs. Today, they are a rare collectible. <strong>'42 Ford GPW</strong><br /> The GPW was built to the Willys design. The government requirement was that all parts be interchangeable, and this was tested often by dismantling Ford and Willys jeeps, mixing up the parts and attempting to reassemble them. Still, almost every part on an early Ford GPW had a Ford mark on it. (Henry Ford wasn't going to pay for warranty claims on non-Ford parts!) GPW stood for Government (contract) 80-inch reconnaissance car (P), Willys pattern (W). Fred LaPerriere owns this '42, which was driven from Colorado to Alaska in the '90s. A total of 278,000 GPWs were built from 1942-1945.
<strong>'44 Willys MB</strong><br /> The MB was the standard Willys jeep and built to the tune of 361,339 units. Production ended in September 1945. This one belongs to Jeep collector Herb Huddle, and the tow bar is an original wartime accessory-as are the radio and water can, but not the Warn hubs. <strong>'43 Willys MB</strong><br /> Near Monte Cassino, Italy, fall of 1943. Why was the life of a frontline jeep measured in months? It was partly due to battle damage and partly to horrific conditions and abuse. More often than not, it was loaded past the factory GVWR and driven without service. When it died, the carcass was shipped back to the rear for rebuilding, and a fresh unit replaced it. Only a handful of jeeps stuck with a unit during an entire campaign, let alone the whole war. This is why finding a World War II-era jeep with all its original numbered components is very rare. <strong>'43 Ford GPA</strong><br /> The wartime jeep provided the platform for a lot of modifications and special vehicles. One of the most common was the GPA (the A stands for "Amphibian"), which was built by Ford during 1942-43 to the tune of about 12,000 units. Next to the Willys MA, this is the hottest of the World War II jeep collectibles. This is Fred LaPerriere's, shown right after its first dip in decades following a long restoration. <strong>'50 CJV-35U</strong><br /> The first postwar military jeep to appear was the CJV-35U. It was a militarized, waterproofed version of the CJ-3A built for Navy and Marine beachmasters. Besides the waterproofing, it had a special PTO-powered generator for the high-powered radio equipment. Only 1,000 were built. Bob Westerman owns this one. <strong>'51 MC (M-38)</strong><br /> The MC was the first full military remake of the original jeep idea. It combined the evolution of the CJ-line with the additional requirements dictated by the military, including a 1,200-pound payload. Some 62,000 were built between September of 1950 and July of 1952. Gary Wirth's '51 mounts the M2 "Ma Deuce" .50-caliber machine gun. <strong>'53 MD (M-38A1)</strong><br /> The model MD gave the Army everything it wanted, more room, more payload and more power. It also eventually provided the civilian Jeep market with the CJ-5. Major production started in 1952 and ended in 1957 to the tune of just over 75,000 units. Similar models built later were essentially militarized CJ-5s. <strong>'53 MDA (M-170)</strong><br /> The need for a rough terrain frontline ambulance led to the M-170, which stretched the M-38A1 wheelbase from 81 to 101 inches and allowed for three patients in litters plus two crew members. It shared the vast majority of parts with the MD. This one is owned by noted Jeep historian Keith Buckley. <strong>'67 M-715</strong><br /> Brad Luchsinger's '67 was fresh out of the resto room and looking much as a factory-fresh M-715 would have looked upon delivery to the Army. Known as the "Five-Quarter" for its 11/4-ton rated capacity, the M-715 was a heavily updated civilian truck. The only serious complaints over these trucks revolved around the 230ci OHC engine, which had been dropped in civilian Jeeps after 1965 but were resurrected for the military unit.
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