Jeep: The History of America's Greatest Vehicle

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Motorbooks, Jul 15, 2014 - History - 192 pages
DIVThe definitive, fully illustrated celebration of an auto manufacturer that paved its own way by going off-road./divDIV /divDIVFew American vehicles, or vehicles made anywhere else in the world for that matter, are as universally iconic as the Jeep. From olive drab WWII military relics to the beloved Wrangler with its rear-mounted spare tire, open-air design, and telltale roll cage, the Jeep is a true classic. In Jeep: The History of America’s Greatest Vehicle, automotive writer Patrick R. Foster chronicles over 70 years of Jeep vehicle design and production. Beginning with the Jeep as a crucial component of the American World War II fleet, Foster expertly recounts the corporate shifts, financial struggles and successes, close calls, and—above all—the enduring machines that have carried Jeep from the early 1940s to its triumphant role as a modern-day embodiment of American perseverance. Three hundred color and black-and-white historical photos complement his expertly written narrative of Jeep’s entire history, reminding us that sometimes, the road less traveled was just waiting for the right truck./div
 

Contents

Forged in War Tales of wartime Jeep adventures where the trusty Jeep saved lives and won the day
5
A Legend Is Born 19401941 The history of WillysOverland and Bantam Motors and their roles in developing the wartime Jeep
21
The WillysOverland and Willys Motors Years 19461963 Peacetime and military Jeeps produced by WillysOverland and its successor Willys Motors
43
Mr Kaisers Jeep 19641969 In 1963 Kaiser Industries changed the name of the company to KaiserJeep Corporation tried to grow the corporation in A...
75
American Motors Takes the Wheel 19701987 Jeep ownership transfers to AMC and Jeeps US business grows nearly 700 percent
93
Chrysler in Command 19881998 The Iacocca years and how his Chrysler Corporation built a whole new Jeep organization one that could take the co...
133
The DaimlerChrysler Fiasco 19992007 The DaimlerChrysler merger and how the German company caused Jeep to lose its way
153
Tragedy and Triumph 20072015 Jeeps comeback was temporarily derailed by Chryslers bankruptcy but the division has since been able to pull itself...
173
INDEX
188
Copyright

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About the author (2014)

DIVOne of America’s best-known automotive authors, Patrick R. Foster (Milford, CT) has spent 20 years studying various aspects of the automotive industry and, at one time, almost started his own car company. An authority on AMC and its various branches, Foster has written a number of books on that automaker and many others, including Jeep and Studebaker. His writing has appeared in just about every car magazine out there, he has won awards for his books and articles from the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) and SAH (Society of Automotive Historians), and he even helped found the SAH Press. Most recently he has written American Motors Corporation: The Rise and Fall of America’s Last Independent Automaker (2013) for Motorbooks. /div

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