addicted to cars Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 here is a car for sale locally, it claims to be a Ford prototype from 1946. looks alot like a jeepster to me, but is a little strange. what do you think?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I doubt it. I would ask for some documentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Al Brass Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I doubt it would be Ford. They were not in the slightest bit interested in the jeep (Ford GPW) at the end of the war and left it all to Willys. It could be argued Ford failed to recognize the potential but it would have been quite some time later they themselves realized it.Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimkf Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Looks like it has a little bit of Jeepster in it as well as some CJ components. It's age can better be determined by the chassis components. I'm guessing that it's someone's custom job...fairly well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Jeep windshield, Jeepster hood ornament and/or hood, too short a wheelbase for Jeepster (was 104") but perhaps a CJ chassis, modified Jeep/Jeepster/Jeep wagon front fenders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erndog Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Looks like a touch of Crosley in there, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeedyt Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 looks like a custom to me... that top must go... if the price is reasonable it could be a fun ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I doubt it would be Ford. They were not in the slightest bit interested in the jeep (Ford GPW) at the end of the war and left it all to Willys. It could be argued Ford failed to recognize the potential but it would have been quite some time later they themselves realized it.AlFord bought Willys do Brasil in 1967, and built Jeeps in Brazil from 1967 to 1983. Whatever this thing is, it appears to be made at least partially out of non-North American Jeep components. The grille design in particular is not a Willys/Kaiser/AMC design, but does appear to be very closely related to the 1948/1949 version of the Willys Jeepster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randomnoize Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 This car is posted again. I got the same story as addicted to cars. I am thinking about looking at it tonight and maybe getting some more pictures. Just curious if Addicted to Cars ever got any more info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I doubt it would be Ford. They were not in the slightest bit interested in the jeep (Ford GPW) at the end of the war and left it all to Willys. It could be argued Ford failed to recognize the potential but it would have been quite some time later they themselves realized it.AlI could be wrong, but I doubt Ford could have built Jeeps after the war contract ended. The contract was originally awarded to Willys and they owned the rights to the design, not Ford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Al Brass Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) The design of the standardized WW2 jeep had input from the Government, Bantam, Willys Overland and Ford. Willys didn't own any rights until late in the war when they registered the Jeep name. As mentioned previously, there was no interest shown by Ford at that point in time. If anyone had rights, it was probably Bantam, who built the prototype. A detail that may interest readers is the famous Jeep 7 slot stamped grill was actually a Ford design, brought about in an attempt to simplify and reduce the cost of manufacturing the Willys "slat-grill' design. RegardsAl Edited October 5, 2011 by Al Brass (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Other than being 4 cylinder and four wheel drive, the Bantam design and the Willys design bore nothing in common. Different engine, trans, axles, frame, etc., etc. It's like comparing a Bronco to a Scout. Same concept, entirely different vehicles. I am aware of Bantam, Karl Probst and the story of their attempt. Bantam was not chosen because they didn't have the capability to build the product in the quantities that the War Department required, so the contract was awarded to Willys and their, completely different design. Shortly after production began, it was realized that Willys couldn't build them fast enough either, so Ford was contracted to build them as well, but they were the Willys design, not Fords. I don't know about all of the legalities or who owned the design rights, but they were Willys' when production began Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Al Brass Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hi John,You are partly correct. The Willys MA (post Quad) jeep incorporated many design ques from both Ford (Pigmy and GP) and Bantam (BRC40) and they were pretty much assembled from components (apart from the wonderful WO engine). These components consisted of Spicer axels, Warner gearboxes, Spicer transfer case and so on. It is true they were rehashed to suit the WO application. No single one of three companies involved can claim the invention as their own (WO tried hard to!) but it is clear that WO had more to do with it than the others.Ford acknowledge this in their GPW model designation.G = GovernmentP = 80" wheelbaseW = WillysKindest regardsAl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2dameron Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 The story is that Willys, Bantam, and Ford submitted designs and the government choose the Bantam design but required modifications to the original design. Bantam lost out because they did not have the facilities to build them in the quanity needed, Willys wanted an exclusive contract but the government would not agree to that so Ford produced some and Bantam produced a very few but then the government awarded them a contract to build 1/4-Ton trailers to be towed by the Jeeps and they had all they could do to build the trailers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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