Five Facts to Know About the First Army Jeep

Jeep’s 75th Anniversary celebration is upon us! So plan on learning a lot more about Jeep’s long and storied history in the next few months.

Take, for example, a story we stumbled on in the Detroit Free Press uncovering the history of the Ford GP-No.1, which is on display in the Veteran’s Memorial Museum in Huntsville, Alabama. Below are five of some of the most interesting historical points we pulled from the story.

1) The Ford GP-No.1 prototype was first delivered to the Army for military use testing on November 23, 1940.

2) The Ford GP-No.1 is one of five original test vehicles that included two from Ford, two from Willys Overland, and one from American Bantam.

3) Originally called the “Pygmy,” the GP-No.1 is the only one of those prototypes known to still exist in North America and currently on display.

4) Henry Ford’s son, Edsel, is credited with spearheading the GP-No.1 project, which paved the way for Ford to become a major military supplier.

5) The Ford GP-No. 1 was housed at the Henry Ford Museum until the organization sold it in 1982.

There’s plenty more in the video below. And the whole article is full of interesting facts and stories too, so make sure to check it out.

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Via [Detroit Free Press]