jeep overland : OK so scroll down and read the AM General history page lifted from theirwebsiteThe origins of AM General can be traced to 1903, when the Standard WheelCompany of Terre Haute, Indiana, expanded its bicycle operation to includethe Overland Automotive Division to manufacture motor vehicles, and theOverland "Runabout" was introduced.In 1908, John North Willys purchased the Overland Automotive Company, whichby then was located in Indianapolis, Indiana. As Runabout sales grew,production was moved in 1908 to the newly purchased Pope-Toledo automobilemanufacturing plant in Toledo, Ohio. In 1912 the Willys-Overland Company wasformed and, in addition to the Runabout, began producing the Willys-Knightseries automobile and the popular "Whippet." In 1936, as the result of aDepression-era bankruptcy reorganization, the company became Willys-OverlandMotors, Inc.In 1940 Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. entered the field of tactical truckdevelopment with the design and manufacture of a prototype for America’sfirst four-wheel drive 1/4-ton utility truck. After a competitive biddingprocess, Willys-Overland was granted the production contract and beganproduction in 1941. In all, more than 350,000 "Jeeps" were produced duringthe 1940’s in support of the war effort.
jeep overland : As part of the war effort, Willys-Overland also became a supplier ofmunitions and military materials, including the "Robomb", the allied versionof the German V-2 rocket, bullet cores, shells, projectiles and parts foraircraft landing gears.After the war, Willys-Overland began to explore peacetime uses for thepopular 4x4 Jeep vehicle. The vehicle that grew out of wartime needs soonbecame an indispensable machine for peacetime uses. Responding to thecommercial applications of the Jeep, Willys-Overland established a worldwidesystem of distribution and services.With the outbreak of the Korean conflict, Willys-Overland designed animproved version of the WW II Jeep, the M38 utility truck and its laterversion the M38A1. In all, over 150,000 vehicles were produced, including5,000 M170 front line ambulances in which the basic body and chassis of theM38A1 were extended to accommodate litter patients.In 1953 the facilities, plants and other physical assets of Willys-Overlandwere purchased by the Henry J. Kaiser interests and named Willys Motors,Inc. Under Kaiser management the company continued its interests ingovernment military and non-military business, including the development ofthe M274 weapons carrier.
jeep overland : In 1960 the company began its first civilian government program bysuccessfully winning a bid to develop and produce a 1/4-ton delivery van forthe U. S. Post Office. Over 14,000 of these 1/4-ton vehicles were eventuallyproduced at the Toledo plant.Two years later in 1962 the company underbid the Ford Motor Company, theoriginal designer of the M151 1/4-ton truck, which had replaced the M38A1,for a contract to produce over 9,000 of these 1/4-ton utility vehicles.Later that same year a second contract was won for an additional 9,800units. Over 20,000 M151s were built in Toledo, and later, over 100,000 weremanufactured in South Bend.It was not until 1963 that Willys Motors was renamed the Kaiser JeepCorporation.The year 1964 marked a significant milestone in the company’s history. Earlyin that year,the Kaiser Jeep Corporation purchased the StudebakerCorporation manufacturing facilities on Chippewa Avenue in South Bend,Indiana. With the purchase of this facility, Kaiser Jeep also assumed acontract for the production of the M39 5-ton military truck series. In Mayof 1964 Kaiser won its own contract to produce M44 2 1/2-ton trucks at thenew South Bend location. Over the next 25 years, the Chippewa facility wasto produce nearly 112,000 5-ton and 150,000 2 1/2-ton trucks for the armedforces of the free world.
jeep overland : In 1965 the company designed and developed the M715 1 1/4-ton series truckwhich was purchased by the U. S. Army to replace the M37 series. Delivery ofover 33,000 vehicles began in 1967 and included the M715 cargo truck, M726ambulance and the M726 maintenance truck.In 1967 Kaiser Jeep Corporation formed a special division devotedexclusively to the research, development and production of Governmentvehicles. The Defense and Government Products Division was a directorganizational forerunner of AM General.In 1967 the company was awarded a contract by the U. S. Post Office for theproduction of the 1/4-ton DJ-5 Dispatcher. This rugged and durable deliveryvehicle had many commercial applications. It was used by the U. S. PostalService, police departments, utility companies and small package deliveryfirms. Over 150,000 Dispatchers were produced. In addition to the DJ-5, thecompany developed the FJ-8 _-ton series and FJ-9 1-ton series Postal Servicevans. In all, 35,000 _-ton and 4,000 1-ton vans were delivered to the U. S.Postal Service and other commercial users.In 1970 American Motors Corporation purchased the Kaiser Jeep Corporationfrom Kaiser Industries. The Defense and Government Products Division becamethe General Products Division of the Jeep Corporation. Shortly after thepurchase, the Division’s Toledo executive offices and Dearborn engineeringoperations were relocated to Wayne, Michigan.
jeep overland : On April 1, 1971, the Division was incorporated as AM General Corporation, awholly-owned subsidiary of the American Motors Corporation. This move wasinitiated to give independent status to AM General in recognition of theadvantages of flexibility and autonomy in fulfilling the specialtransportation requirements of the U. S. Government and in pursuing furtherdiversification.Later in 1971 AM General’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities wereaugmented with the establishment of the Engineering and Technical ServicesDivision. This division provided vehicle engineering and related technicalservices for conducting research and development programs for bothcommercial and military applications. In the early 1970’s the U. S. Armycontracted AM General to perform engineering development work on it’s 2_ and5-ton truck series. As part of an ongoing developmental effort, AM Generaldesigned the M809 series 5-ton truck. AM General produced over 92,000 5-tontrucks at its South Bend facility for distribution to the U. S. ArmedServices and friendly overseas nations.In addition to the development of the M809 truck series, AM Generaldeveloped a second 5-ton truck series, the M939. AM General won a contractfor the production of over 21,000 vehicles which began delivery in 1982.During the 1970’s, AM General entered the transit bus field, producing a newgeneration bus known as the Metropolitan Series. Through 1978, when thatline of business was terminated, over 5,000 transit buses had been producedat the Mishawaka facility.
|
|
1989 jeep cherokee, 1999 jeep cherokee, 2003 jeep rubicon, 2004 jeep grand cherokee, farrish jeep, full size jeep, hummer jeep, jasper jeep, jeep 2003, jeep acessories, jeep auto parts, jeep bicycle, jeep bicycles, jeep bike, jeep cheroke, jeep cherokee, jeep cherokee accesories, jeep cherokee parts, jeep cherokee report, jeep commando, jeep compass, jeep decals, jeep forum, jeep golf, jeep grand cherokee accessories, jeep ika, jeep liberty, jeep liberty 2003, jeep liberty review, jeep magazine, jeep performance, jeep pics, jeep replacement parts, jeep reviews, jeep rims, jeep rubicon, jeep sahara, jeep seats, 2002 gmc sonoma, 2003 gmc sonoma, 2003 gmc truck, 2003 gmc yukon denali, gmc 2003, gmc autos, gmc boxing, gmc c3, gmc ca, gmc cinemas, gmc consultores, gmc danali, gmc delorean, gmc delorian, gmc denali, gmc denanilli, gmc envoy, gmc envoy recall, gmc envoy reviews, gmc envoy xuv, gmc gnome, chrysler 2003, chrysler 300c, chrysler atlantic, chrysler building architect, chrysler building new york, chrysler building pictures, chrysler caravan, chrysler cherokee, chrysler credit canada, chrysler crossfire, chrysler daimler, chrysler daytona, chrysler de, chrysler deutschland, chrysler eagle 90, chrysler employee discount, chrysler equation, chrysler es, chrysler espaa, chrysler gebrauchtwagen, chrysler gem, chrysler homepage, chrysler hndler, chrysler italia, chrysler jeep, chrysler logo, chrysler mexico, chrysler minivans, chrysler neon insurance, chrysler racing outboard, chrysler sailboats, chrysler service center