Our valiant effort to run down the illustrious history of one of the most famous vehicles by listing a mere 10 historic Jeeps drew no end of protest. Fans were outraged that we'd egregiously overlooked their personal favorites. Realizing the only way to choose among so many worthy vehicles was to let Jeep aficionados pick, we held a popular vote.
The votes have been cast, the ballots have been tallied, and our readers have spoken. The overwhelming favorite, the Jeep deemed Most Historic Ever with a whopping 312 votes, is the 1941-1945 Jeep MB, the ubiquitous military machine that helped the Allies win World War II.
Above:
This venerable machine is as big a symbol of the Greatest Generation as that pic of the flag-raising over Iwo Jima. More than 640,000 Willys MB jeeps were built during wartime. American Bantam, Ford and Willys bid on the original Jeep contract. The Willys MA, with its 60-horsepower four-cylinder "Go Devil" engine, proved most popular.
To promote efficiency, the War Department in 1941 ordered the MB, which incorporated innovations and improvements drawn from Bantam and Ford. The whole shebang was standardized, so multiple manufacturers could produce the same vehicle. One innovation would help define the brand: the slatted grille, designed by Ford to save weight and production time.
All photos: Chrysler
