4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY BASE MODEL · 1941–45
BASE MODELUnited States

Willys MB / Ford GPW.

The wartime ¼-ton 4×4 built by Willys-Overland (MB) and, to the same drawings, Ford (GPW) from 1941 to 1945 on an 80-inch wheelbase, with the 2.2-litre Willys L134 'Go Devil' four: about 640,000 in all, the origin of the Jeep name and of every CJ.

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Sources & evidence
MODEL LINEWillys MB / Ford GPWBUILT BYWillys-Overland Motors, Toledo, Ohio (MB); Ford Motor Company (GPW)PRODUCED1941–45PRODUCTIONAbout 640,000LAYOUT4 wheels · 80″

The record

The US Army's 1940 call for a ¼-ton reconnaissance car drew prototypes from Bantam, Willys and Ford; the standardised Willys MB of late 1941 combined Bantam's layout with Willys' engine, and Ford built the identical GPW under licence from 1942. Willys made about 363,000 MBs and Ford about 280,000 GPWs. Surplus and Lend-Lease vehicles spread the type worldwide, and the 1945 CJ-2A was its civilian development.

Specification

MANUFACTURERWillys-Overland Motors, Toledo, Ohio (MB); Ford Motor Company (GPW)
MANUFACTURED1941–45
ENGINE2.2 L (134 cu in) L134 'Go Devil' inline-four petrol
PRODUCTION RUNAbout 640,000 — ~363,000 Willys MB and ~280,000 Ford GPW
COUNTRY OF ORIGINUnited States
STATUSsucceeded by the CJ-2A (civilian) and the M38 (military)
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINEWillys MB / Ford GPW
FAMILYWillys MB / Ford GPW
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE80″
BODY STYLEOpen ¼-ton
VARIANTS1

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Body styles & colours

Factory colours

  • Olive Drab (wartime)

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Willys MB ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-22 · status: researched