Jeep: Eight Decades from Willys to Wrangler

by Patrick R. Foster

Overview

The definitive, fully illustrated celebration of an auto manufacturer that paved its own way by going off-road is now updated to celebrate Jeep’s 80th anniversary.

Few American vehicles, or vehicles made anywhere else in the world for that matter, are as universally iconic as the Jeep. From olive drab WWII military relics to the beloved Wrangler with its rear-mounted spare tire, open-air design, and telltale roll cage, the Jeep is a true classic.

In Jeep: Eight Decades from Willys to Wrangler, automotive writer Patrick R. Foster chronicles Jeep vehicle design and production from the beginning of World War II to present. Beginning with the Jeep as a crucial component of the American war fleet, Foster expertly recounts the corporate shifts, financial struggles and successes, close calls, and, above all, the enduring machines that have carried Jeep from the early 1940s to its triumphant role as a modern-day embodiment of American perseverance.

More than 200 color and black-and-white historical photos and period advertisements complement his expertly written narrative of Jeep's entire history, now updated to include five years of new model editions and prototypes, its return to the pickup market, and recent stunning marketplace successes. The resulting book reminds us that sometimes the road less traveled was just waiting for the right truck.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760366561
Publisher:	Motorbooks
Publication date:	03/10/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	814,379
File size:	47 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

One of America’s best-known automotive writers, Patrick R. Foster has spent over 30 years studying the automotive industry. The leading authority on AMC and its predecessors, Pat has written several books on that subject along with many others, including Jeep, Studebaker, Hudson, Kaiser-Frazer, and Metropolitan. His popular columns appear in Hemmings Classic Car and Old Cars Weekly, and he has won awards for his books and articles from the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) and SAH (Society of Automotive Historians). In 2011, he was honored with the Lee Iacocca Award—one of the most coveted awards in automotive writing. His website is The Olde Milford Press (oldemilfordpress.com).

One of America's best-known automotive writers, Patrick R. Foster has spent over 30 years studying the automotive industry. The leading authority on AMC and its predecessors, Pat has written several books on that subject along with many others, including Jeep, Studebaker, Hudson, Kaiser-Frazer, and Metropolitan. His popular columns appear in Hemmings Classic Car and Old Cars Weekly, and he has won awards for his books and articles from the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) and SAH (Society of Automotive Historians). In 2011, he was honored with the Lee Iacocca Award—one of the most coveted awards in automotive writing. His website is The Olde Milford Press (oldemilfordpress.com).

Table of Contents

Introduction: Forged in War. Tales of wartime Jeep adventures, where the trusty Jeep saved lives and won the day 4

Chapter 1 A Legend Is Born, 1940-1941. The history of Willys-Overland and Bantam Motors and their roles in developing the wartime Jeep 20

Chapter 2 The Willys-Overland and Willys Motors Years, 1946-1963, Peacetime and military Jeeps produced by Willys-Overland and its successor, Willys Motors 42

Chapter 3 Mr. Kaiser's Jeep, 1964-1969. In 1963, Kaiser Industries changed the name of the company to Kaiser-Jeep Corporation, tried to grow the corporation in America, and laid the groundwork for Jeep's amazing popularity overseas 74

Chapter 4 American Motors Takes the Wheel, 1970-1987. Jeep ownership transfers to AMC and Jeep's U.S. business grows nearly 700 percent 92

Chapter 5 Chrysler in Command, 1988-1998. The lacocca years add how his Chrysler Corporation built a whole new Jeep organization, one that could take the company to the next level 132

Chapter 6 The DaimlerChrysler Fiasco, 1999-2007. The Daimler-Chrysler merger and how the German company caused Jeep to lose its way 152

Chapter 7 The Road to the Top, 2008-2020. Jeep's comeback was temporarily derailed by Chrysler's bankruptcy, but the division has since been able to poll itself out of the basement and on to record-breaking years 172

Index 189