Jeep is one of the most instantly recognizable automobile brands in the world. Jeeps have always had iconic designs that are impossible to miss. The brand turned 75 years old in 2016. The 1941 Willys MB is considered the first Jeep, and a huge contribution to the war effort during WWII, provided by Americans.

No one really knows where the origins of the “Jeep” moniker come from—some say it’s a slurred version of the letters GP, standing for General Purpose or Government Purpose. Others think it was named after Eugene the Jeep, a strange pet in Popeye’s comic strips. There are even records of the word “jeep” being used by US Army mechanics as far back as 1914, to describe new, untested vehicles.

Whatever the case may be, Jeep is a household name that has reached cult status. It’s done that by remaining true to its roots for nearly 80 years, being a contribution to American-made vehicles in both the civilian and military sectors, and it’s even been recognized as a global “cult” brand, which we’ll touch on below.

“America’s Greatest Contribution To Modern Warfare”

1944 Willys MB
via Hemmings Motor News

In the early 1940s, with WWII pending, the US Army sent out a call for small, agile, four-wheeled “light reconnaissance vehicles.” Three companies answered the call: Ford, Willys-Overland, and Bantam Car Manufacturing. Willys-Overland won the contract but took elements of Bantam’s prototype and Ford’s iconic stamped grille. Between Willys and Ford (who built the MB under license), nearly 650,000 MB Jeeps were produced.

According to Driving.ca, the resulting Willys MB Jeep was coined “America’s greatest contribution to modern warfare.” It changed the face of WWII, allowing soldiers to quickly cross long areas of land over rough terrain.

This day and age, when you think of “Jeep,” you immediately think of off-roading, 4x4s, and rocky terrain. This isn’t by accident—Jeep was formed with this in mind, and it still promotes the powerful off-roading capabilities of its vehicles.

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A Household Name

2020 Jeep Wrangler
via Carparts

Besides the war effort Jeeps, they became available to civilians shortly after WWII, and were just as popular there, too. Nowadays, we have tons of Jeeps: Grand Cherokees, Renegades, Wranglers, and pickups like the Gladiator. They come in all shapes and sizes, but the commonality is the JEEP stamp and the iconic grille.

According to ArtofGears.com, The Society of Cult Brands awarded Jeep “cult status” with a formal “2018 Cult Brand,” courtesy of the group’s gathering called… The Gathering. In 2018, other honorees included Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, Gatorade, and PlayStation. Jeep arguably is more household than any of those, and those are some pretty big names!

So, now Jeep has an actual award to go along with its cult-like status. No other car brand can say the same thing. It stands apart from every other company in the automotive industry, and it’s all thanks to its dominance during WWII, and the massive civilian afterlife that the brand still enjoys today.

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