First, a brief history about our JEEPS and why my JEEP means so much to me:

JEEP is the oldest off-road vehicle on the planet!!!

In 1941, Willys-Overland produced and demonstrated the vehicle's off-road capability by having it drive up the steps of the United States Capitol

It then appeared as the the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Army and Allies during the World War II

WW II soldiers at the time were so impressed with the new vehicle that they informally named it after Eugene the Jeep, a character in the Popeye cartoons. Jeep was Popeye's "jungle pet" and was "small, able to move between dimensions and could solve seemingly impossible problems."

Of course, the Government claims fame for the name by stating the vehicle bore the designation "GP" (for "Government Purposes" or "General Purpose"), which was phonetically slurred into the word JEEP

Today, our JEEPs are one of the few remaining four wheel drive vehicles with solid front and rear axles

Now when I wheel in my JEEP, a few things come to my mind such as: Just Enjoying Exciting Places, Just Extreeme Excellent Partying, and Jelousy Exists Everywhere Predominantly.

And for our JEEP wives, JEEP to my wife means: Justifying Expensive Extra Parts...a badge of honor to own like the Trail Rated Badge my JEEP proudly displays

A few things about me as a JEEP owner:

When I was 6 months old and only able to crawl, I wanted a JEEP to crawl in

When I was 6, unlike the other boys in my neighborhood, I didn't run home after school and play with Legos or G.I. Joe, I ran home to get the new editions of 4x4 and Dirt Road magazines

When I was 16, I admired the windshield holding nipples on the hood of a JEEP more than the nipples of my girlfriend

When I was 26, I use to read to my kids the story about the Winch That Saved Christmas

Now, when I go to the doctor, his prognosis of my body sounds more and more like my recent wheeling adventures: stones, bumps, bruises, and kinks down the road that will require more maintenance to avoid further wear and tear of my joints

When I die, I will request to be buried in my JEEP because it has never been in a hole it couldn't get out of!

 

Awesome post!

 

Outstanding piece of writing!

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in 2010, the Wrangler is the only solid front axle off-road vehicule of the industry. (Excluding the pick-ups)

Even the H1 and FJ Cruiser don't have a solid front axle

 

While I admire your enthusiasm there a couple inaccuracies in your post.

Perhaps the oldest off road vehicle still able to trace it's liniage back through so many years, but the AWD concept predates the jeep by a good bit FWD was building four wheel drive trucks back during the first world war.

Of course Bantam had already proved the idea a year earlier. Bantam invented the jeep and then the army hosed them by providing the schematics to Ford Motor Company and Willys Overland. One hundred Bantam prototypes were built after the original concept vehicle and were tested to destruction. Only prototype number seven still exsists today and it belongs to the Smithsonian.

This one I ain't touching. It's been argued and hashed out ad infinitum. I'll only say that it's one of three possibilities and that we will never know for sure.

Ah ha,this old chesnut. This is the one that got me to answer this in the first place, otherwise I would not have bothered. GP does not and never did mean General Purpose. GP is STRICTLY a Ford Motor Company designation for their first production jeeps that came out in late 1940 and 1941. Yes, Ford built jeeps during the war and a lot of them.

World War Two U.S. Jeep production models are as follows:

Bantam BRC 40 (Bantam Reconnaissance Car model 1940)

Willys MA 1940-41

Ford GP 1940-41

Willys MB 1942-45

Ford GPW 1942-45

Ok, now you can all go on about an anal retentive douche bag I am for messing up MACE24's very nice post.

 

I was right with you until that!

That's just funny right there that is!

We'll all raise a glass in your honor on that day

 

""What My Jeep Means To Me!" Step back and look at how gay that title really sounds.

 

(edit)
Hmm, conscience bothering you?

Gonna have some fun with ya Son...nothing personal and I hope you believe its all good...

Like to hear a few moments from you in regards to a day in the life of a Redneck JEEP owner...don't hold back any humor now!

I'll start you off but first a little history about the term Red Neck:

The most common usage is probably derived from individuals having a red neck caused by working outdoors in hot sun...men who work in the field, generally have their skin burned red by the sun, especially the back of their necks

Did you know the term Red Neck has roots in Scotland?

Scotland desired a Presbyterian Church government, and rejected the Church of England as their official church. In doing so, the Covenanters rejected episcopacy—rule by bishops—the preferred form of church government in England. Many of the Covenanters signed these documents using their own blood, and many in the movement began wearing red pieces of cloth around their neck to signify their position to the public. They were referred to as: Red Necks!

Now onto our regular scheduled program:


When a Red Neck Jeep owner takes a load to the dump in his JEEP, they bring back more than they took.

Red Neck JEEP owners think fast food is hitting a possum in their JEEP at 65 mph.

Red Neck JEEP owners consider their license plates personalized because their dad made it in prison.

The blue book value of a Red Neck JEEP goes up and down depending on how much gas it has in it.

A Red Neck JEEP owner's house doesn't have curtains, but their JEEP does.


Disclaimer...this is all in good fun...my next thread will be poking fun at us Yankee (and no I don't mean the New York Yankees baseball team) JEEP owners

Have a nice Day!

 

It appears we have at least 2 Historians participating in this thread, which I find interesting.

Are there any crystal ball readers than can predict the future of the Jeep?

 

Ok, fair enough. You = douchebag!