Lot details
Registration No: OSU 586
Chassis No: GPW44563
Mot Expiry: Sept 203

America's ubiquitous Jeep is synonymous with WWII, even though production didn't begin in earnest until 1942 - half way through the hostilities. The vehicle's evolution is complex, but resulted from the US Army's approach to 135 American automotive manufacturers to submit designs for 'a general purpose personnel or cargo carrier especially adaptable for reconnaissance or command and designated as a ¼-ton 4x4 truck'. Willys won the resulting three-way tussle with Ford and Bantam, but by the Autumn of 1941 it was clear they could not satisfy demand, so Ford was tasked with manufacturing the vehicle in parallel. The Ford version was dubbed GPW (Government Passenger Willys) which, in contracted form, may have spawned the generic term Jeep (GP said slowly, sounds a bit like Jeep!), though there are other equally plausible explanations for the moniker.

Weighing in at little more than a ton and equipped with a torquey L-headed 2.2-litre engine driving all four wheels via a three-speed manual box and two-speed transfer case, the tough, go anywhere Jeep did its job well, sparking a number of imitations - not least the original Land Rover. By the end of the war, close to 750,000 Jeeps had been produced - 280,000 of which were manufactured by Ford. Many examples survive around the world and are regularly employed in film work, war games or for simply having fun.

The left-hand drive Ford GPW on offer is an example from the first year of production, and finished in traditional Olive Green. The vendor informs us that it was purchased from the American forces in 1946/47, since when it has had few owners. It was apparently treated to a body-off restoration in 1989 and is now offered in what he describes as "all in working order". 'OSU 586' is being sold complete with an MOT valid until September next year.