1940 Willys Quad — Handmade Metal Model Jeep Prototype

The prototype that became the Jeep — built in 49 days because the U.S. Army gave everyone 49 days.

Handcrafted in iron with rolling metal wheels and hand-painted finish, carrying the Quad's stripped, purely functional bodywork: no doors, no roof, nothing that wasn't load-bearing.

Details

• Handcrafted iron frame and body
• Metal wheels that roll
• Hand-painted with applied detail
• Open body, grille, seats and spare wheel detail
• Ready to display

The vehicle

In July 1940 the Army sent a specification for a light reconnaissance vehicle to 135 manufacturers and gave them 49 days to deliver a working prototype and 75 days to deliver 70 units. Two companies bothered to reply. Bantam built the first running vehicle; Willys and Ford submitted their own shortly after.

The Willys Quad was overweight against the specification but had far the best engine — the Go Devil four-cylinder, which produced more torque than either rival. The Army's eventual design took the Bantam layout, the Willys engine and Ford's manufacturing capacity, and built over 600,000 of them.