Willys (Willys-Overland) Willys MB History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
Start with a make and model. Add a year where a detailed guide is available.
Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
Browse this model's history and yearsHistory
In 1940 the US Army solicited bids for a light quarter-ton 4x4 reconnaissance vehicle. Willys-Overland's entry, powered by its sturdy 'Go Devil' L-head four-cylinder engine, won the standardization contract in July 1941, beating prototypes from American Bantam (who did much of the original design work) and Ford. The standardized production vehicle was designated the Willys MB.
Demand far outstripped Willys's capacity, so Ford built the same vehicle under license as the GPW. Roughly 640,000 MB/GPW jeeps were produced from 1941 to 1945 — Willys built about 363,000 of them — making the jeep one of the most important vehicles of the war and, by many accounts, a machine that helped win it.
Willys trademarked the 'Jeep' name and parlayed the MB's fame into the postwar civilian CJ ('Civilian Jeep') line, the Jeep Station Wagon, and the Jeepster. The MB is the direct ancestor of every Jeep built since.
Body styles
- Open-body 4x4 utility
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Willys (Willys-Overland) Willys MB
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.