The Legend of the Jeep

      As the company that helped the Allies win World War II turns 75, I think that it is fitting that we take a look back at the different models throughout the years.

      1940's
The obvious big ticket and well known original Jeep was the Willys MB.  This was the main troop transport of the U.S. during WWII.  With the coming of this vehicle, horses, and motorcycles with sidecars became instantly obsolete, with this new chariot of the GI spearheading every attack in every allied force throughout the world.  Other models produced during the 1940's include the CJ-2A, the Willys Wagon and the Willys Overland truck.  The last two were some of the first of their kind, as after war efforts and innovation helped move along the U.S. postwar economy and introduced new products to the market.

      1950's
With the Korean war came the M38 models.  These were found all along the 38th parallel, and they did the job of the earlier WWII jeeps as a light troop transport and the did it extremely well.  Quite possibly the craziest fitting presented to the M38 models was possibly the option to mount David Crockett type transportable nuclear weapon launchers onto the jeeps.  The M38 was produced for just under 20 years, and the other long term production that emerged in the 50's was the legendary CJ-5. The CJ-5 enjoyed even larger success and was produced for 28 years and was easily the most capable, powerful and comfortable off-roader the entire time it was produced.

      1960's
 The 1960's saw lots of wagons and trucks emerge, from the wagoneers, to the J-2000, J-3000 and J-4000 models entering production during this time as well.  However the most intriguing model produced during the 60's would have to be the Fleetvan.  This model was the future ice-cream truck or delivery truck for america at the time, and was definitely an intriguing sight.

      1970's
The 1970's saw the emergence of the Cherokee, the CJ-5 evolved, and the pickup trucks also evolved. The Cherokee began as a tall-bodied wagon, as one of the first SUV.  It was revered for its offroad capability, combined with its massive person capacity.  The Jeep CJ-7 was also introduced in 1976, which is considered by many as the first modern jeep, with a removable hardtop, and a longer wheelbase, this jeep was definitely an offroad monster just like it's older relatives.  These cars also packed a much bigger punch, with a V8 under the hood rather than a V6 or inline 6, they had no power problems whatsoever.

     1980's
The 1980's saw a huge evolution and growth in the Cherokee and Wagoneer models. More luxury options became available during this time as a main contributor to it's massive popularity.  The CJ-5 came back with the Laredo edition, the CJ-7 emerged with more options, and the CJ-8's and -10's came out as specialized vehicles for consumers to choose from.  Then in 1987, the game changed with the emergence of the Jeep Wrangler YJ model, the first of the modern jeeps to wear this name,

    1990's
The 90's was a quiet, yet productive decade for Jeep.  The Wrangler was evolved in 1997 to the TJ configuration (which is the year of my personal Jeep) and the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SUV models soared in popularity.

     2000's +
The turn of the millennium brought about profound change to all models in the vehicle lineup.  The Wrangler Rubicon was introduced in 2003, and the Wrangler Unlimited was introduced in 2004. Both of these new Jeeps offered dramatically improved on-road and off-road performance.  More changes to the Cherokee andGrand Cherokee were made, including ta drastic redesign.  Many new models emerged including the Liberty, Commander, The new Wrangler JK and Wrangler Unlimited JK (the first 4-door wrangler option), and the Jeep Renegade.  With so much innovation and change being brought about, the future of jeep looks incredibly bright.