In need of some small but tough battlefield machinery in World War II, the US Army laid out a pretty tricky set of criteria and invited companies to offer their ideas. Criteria such as strict maximum dimensions and a kerb weight lower than 590kg, yet load capacity of at least 272kg. A company called Willys-Overland was among those interested.
What followed were the Willys MA and MB, the latter pictured here, weighing more than a ton. In total, 368,000 were produced, all of them painted olive-drab . It s known for helping win the war, after heading out on reconnaissance missions ahead of the tanks. Along the way it picked up the nickname Jeep , for reasons the internet can t quite agree on, a tag Willys-Overland trademarked and which swiftly became the overall brand name.
Driving a car made in 1944, like this example, is always going to present a learning curve. And so it goes as I graunch my way from first to second gear, the Willys using a three-speed manual whose H-pattern puts reverse at the top left, and first bottom left, in a dog-leg position.
And a driving experience so antiquated is only ever going to be laugh-out loud amusing, however worthy its roots. With around 55bhp from its four-cylinder engine, the Willys is certainly not fast, but then the army only demanded it run to 50mph. Getting up to that sort of speed is a visceral and exciting experience in comparison to the drama-free effortlessness of modern cars.
This pack for Daz Studio contains a Willys MB Jeep 1945 with lights and textures included.
Let your imagination run wild and create wonderful scenarios with this stuff.
Mesh data
vertices: 236.686
polygons: 260.255
