1950 WILLYS JEEPSTER SPORT BEFORE UTILITY

摘要

IN 1943, WILLYS MANAGEMENT ROLLED the dice on a bold idea. They bet that Ford, which shared the contract to supply military Jeeps, wouldn't want to build Jeeps after the war but that the public would want to buy them. Willys registered "Jeep" as a trademark, and designer Brooks Stevens developed a new product line derived from Jeep components and rugged, Jeep-based styling. Simple body panels that could be stamped by the home-appliance industry helped speed a pioneering all-steel station wagon into production by July 1946, followed by a pickup in '47. In spring 1948, Willys added the Jeepster, a breezy five-seat sport phaeton that shared the wagon's 104-inch chassis. There was nothing like it on the market, and that was the idea.