What is the Jeep Willys Edition?

 

What is the Jeep Willys Edition?

The Dawn of a Legend 

Before there was the Cherokee, the Wrangler, the Compass, the Renegade, and various other Jeep models, there was all but one: The Willys Jeep. Manufactured by Willys-Overland Motors in 1941, the Willys Jeep was born when a small, four-wheel drive prototype deemed the Willys "Quad" was delivered to the US Army during the height of WWII. At the time, the US Army was looking to award a huge military contract to one of several automotive manufacturers for the design of a small four-wheel drive vehicle to be used for reconnaissance.

With 60 HP and 105 foot-pounds of torque, the Willys Quad not only surpassed the Army's requirements, but outranked both Bantam and Ford's designs for the prestigious military contract.

As World War II began to wind down, Willys-Overland came to the realization that they could leverage their wartime fame and enter the consumer market. They took the Willys Jeep and modified it into a civilian vehicle, which would be deemed the CJ (Civilian Jeep, respectively). 

The first CJ was named the CJ-2A and it was offered with features that were not existent on the military model such as a tailgate, a side-mounted spare tire, a higher windshield, and larger headlights. 

Throughout the years, several models of the Jeep Willys were created, from the CJ-3A all the way through to the highly successful CJ-7 model. Then came the emergence of the highly esteemed Jeep Wrangler in 1987 that would go on to replace the long-lived Willys CJ series. 

Fast forward almost 40 years to 2020, the year that marked the return of the Willys name on a limited-edition model of the Jeep Wrangler. Two years later, the special edition Jeep Willys is still available on both the Jeep Wrangler & Gladiator models. 

Check out the 2022 Jeep Willys.