My favorite car of all time is the Land Rover Series II, an outrageously boxy utility vehicle still used extensively on African safaris (see image above). It was a subtle update of the Series I, carried out in 1958 by the legendary car designer, David Bache. Although the Series I is also nothing to sneeze at:
I lusted after this particular 1966 Series II, because it belonged to the Dalai Lama:
Both the Series I and Series II, later known as “Defender” models, were inspired by the American Jeep, designed in 1940:
From Wikipedia:
When it became clear that the United States would be involved in the European theatre of World War II, the U.S. Army contacted 135 companies to create working prototypes of a four-wheel-drive reconnaissance car. Only two companies responded: American Bantam Car Company and Willys-Overland. The Army set a seemingly impossible deadline of 49 days to supply a working prototype. Willys asked for more time, but was refused. The broke American Bantam Car Company had only a skeleton staff left on the payroll and solicited Karl Probst, a talented freelance designer from Detroit. After turning down Bantam's initial request, Probst responded to an Army request and began work on July 17, 1940, initially without salary.
en.m.wikipedia.org/…
The Willys Jeep, which became the standard, was actually based on the Bantam design. Fun fact: before they were called Jeeps, they were called...Peeps. Srsly.
Original Bantam Jeeps are insanely rare. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen one for sale on eBay or anywhere, for that matter. Original Willys and Ford Jeeps are easier to find, and can be bought in restored condition for between $12,000 and $25,000. John McCain has one.
The very coolest of Jeeps is the 1952 update, known as the M38A1. The Museum of Modern Art has one:
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