Wolverine’s Wednesday Whips: The Jeep

Throughout the years, Wolverine had access to drive everything from covered wagons to new Corvettes. So this week, we showcase a vehicle that the former soldier must have used thousands of times. Today’s vehicle of discussion is the Jeep.

As the son and nephew of Jeep owners, I was turned on early to the beauty and simplicity of the Jeep. The original Jeep was utilized for military means (and the Jeep my dad purchased and still owns is a 1952 Willys Military Jeep). It is believed that the name is derived from the generalized term “Goverment” or “General Purpose”‘s initials “GP” were combined together to form the sound ‘Jeep’. This was done similarly to how the Humvee name was derived from the letters HMMWV (aka the High-Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle).  The Jeep’s popularity grew leaps and bounds by World War 2 and almost 3/4 of a million Jeeps were produced for the war effort.

Jeep has been owned by many companies, starting with Willys. Willys also produced the first CJ (Civilian Jeep) Jeep in 1945 and continued to produce Jeeps until 1950. Willys was sold to Kaiser then to Renault then to Chrysler where it has remained even though Chrysler has changed company names and co-owners multiple times since then (Currently known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles).

Jeep has produced many models and variations of the original but I’m a purest when it comes to Jeeps. I love what you think of when you think “Jeep” and so does a lot of America. Jeeps are becoming more and more popular with sales numbers almost doubling. And most people aren’t happy with their Jeep looking like every other Jeep on the road either. Jeep is the number one most modified vehicle on the road. From rock climbing and lift kits to upgrading rims and tires, we will keep our Jeep’s personalized because that is what makes a Jeep special.