Jeep celebrates 85 years of freedom and adventure by opening the order book Avenger 85th Anniversary

• Avenger 85^th Anniversary celebrates the founding principles of Jeep with additional equipment and interior and exterior enhancements
• Available from £30,395, Avenger 85^th Anniversary is available with choice of petrol, hybrid, Electric or 4xe powertrain
• The contract for the Willys-Overland ‘General Purpose Vehicle’ was signed on 15^th July 1941 – this car went on to become know as the ‘Jeep’
• The creators of the first SUV – Jeep continues this tradition of exploration, practicality and capability with its latest model range including new Compass and updated Avenger

Jeep opens orders for new Avenger 85^th Anniversary – celebrating 85 years of capability, freedom and adventure. Avenger 85^th Anniversary draws inspiration from the brand’s history, with exclusive design details to celebrate the occasion.

New Jeep Avenger 85th special edition is designed for both Jeep lovers who want to celebrate the brand's anniversary, and for drivers who appreciate a car designed to stand apart. It is distinguished by a range of distinctive design features including an illuminated 7-slot grille, specific logos on the bumpers and 18-inch alloy wheels in a gold finish. The 4xe version is characterised by a dedicated bonnet sticker.

The interior is enriched by a specific pad cover, upholstery decorated with a tartan pattern and cloth/vinyl seats with 85^th logo. LED matrix headlights, LED foglamps, and front camera with 360-degree view are standard for maximum safety.

Avenger 85^th Anniversary is open for for orders today starting from £30,395 OTR for the petrol, rising to £33,395 OTR for the 4xe version.

Pricing for the Avenger 85^th Anniversary:

85 years of heritage

The heritage of Jeep informs the design and engineering of every new model today. New Compass and new Avenger all benefit from the core principles and DNA that defined the original Willys, adapted to fit the needs of today.

All Jeep models feature the iconic 7-slot grille, updated in the latest models to feature camera and safety technology. The style of new Compass and new Avenger is unmistakeably Jeep, shallow approach and departure angles and rugged skirts and boxy wheelarches all help provide the renowned Jeep off-road capability. The practical and rugged ‘boxy’ design language is still prevalent, but it has been softened to improve aerodynamic performance on electric versions.  

The overarching principle that continues to drive Jeep is ‘design to function’: every line, every detail is there to add a function to the vehicle and its customers. In the pursuit of this fundamental goal, the package combines timeless design and lifestyle – these elements that, when skillfully blended, define what a Jeep truly is.

Capability is synonymous with Jeep. The first Jeep was imagined to “take you where other vehicles can’t”, and every model still lives up to that aspiration. Every Jeep is designed to tackle demanding off-road obstacles, but also any difficulties drivers might encounter in their everyday routines. Capability is ensured by short overhangs for optimised approach and departure angles, high ground clearance for rock climbing and water fording, wide trapezoidal wheelarches over large tyres and a recovery hook in case a friend’s car gets stuck.

In order to maintain their promise of safety, solidity and durability, every Jeep is fully protected. A 360-degree cladding shields the lower body. Moluded black bumpers and aluminium components preserve the paint, and anti-scratch materials have also been adopted for the Jeep logo on both Compass and Avenger 4xe. The vehicle radar is positioned to avoid damage in tight spaces, or when encountering obstacles. Headlamps, rear reflectors and front foglights are encased to be protected from minor impacts. The right materials are adopted in the right places to reduce wear and tear, including high-resistance, washable fabrics and the front seat back-panels.

Jeep vehicles are made to adapt to all types of routes and driving habits. They are ready for 24/7 use, whether for daily commutes or leisure. They travel with equal ease on offroad trails as on motorways, and on short trips in city centres as the do on long road trips. They are designed to accommodate any powertrain solution – BEV, PHEV, Hybrid, and ICE: a modular approach developed to offer every customer maximum freedom of choice. They can be specified with a large sunroof, for a true ‘open air’ experience, and equipped with roof bars to carry bulky loads or long objects.

The traditional boxy Jeep shape optimises interior space. Jeep offers space everywhere: the dashboard is carved at the top, and the interiors are analysed from a stylistic and engineering standpoint to create additional storage compartments.

History of Jeep

In July 1940, the U.S. military informed automakers that it was looking for a “light reconnaissance vehicle” to replace the Army's motorcycle and modified Ford Model-T vehicles. The Army invited 135 manufacturers to bid on production and developed a lengthy specification list for the vehicle, including the following:

• 600-lb. load capacity
• Wheelbase less than 75 inches
• Height less than 36 inches
• Smooth-running engine from 3 to 50 miles per hour
• Rectangular-shaped body
• Four-wheel drive with two-speed transfer case
• Fold-down windshield
• Three bucket seats
• Blackout and driving lights
• Gross vehicle weight below 1,300 lbs.

At first, Willys-Overland and American Bantam Car Manufacturing Company were the only two companies answering the call. Soon, however, Ford Motor Company entered the picture and competition began among the three over which company would receive the lucrative government contract. Each company produced prototypes for testing in record time. Bantam's chief engineer, along with a team of Bantam executives, worked out a design and the company built its field car within 49 days.

Willys-Overland Vice President of Engineering Delmar G. Roos designed the Willys Quad. Ford developed its Model GP (General Purpose), known as the Pygmy, which was powered by an adapted Ford/Ferguson tractor. Each company delivered its prototype to the Army in the summer of 1940 and received approval to build 70 sample vehicles.

The Army took possession of these vehicles in November 1940 at Camp Holabird, Maryland. Each of the three designs exceeded the Army's specification of 1,300 lbs., but the Army soon realised that limit was far too low and raised it for the next round of vehicles.

The Army issued the next round of contracts in March 1941. Bantam produced 1,500 Model 40 BRC vehicles, while Ford built 1,500 modified and improved GP Pygmies and Willys built 1,500 Quads. Further testing and evaluation led to the Army's selection of Willys as the primary manufacturer on the 15^th July 1941.

Subsequently, most of the Bantams and Ford GPs produced were sent to the UK and the USSR as part of the lend-lease program. In UK, the Ford vehicle was popularly known as the “Blitz Buggy.”

Willys MA/MB
With modifications and improvements, the Willys Quad became the MA and later the MB. But the Army, and the world, came to know it as the Jeep®.

The Willys MA featured a gearshift on the steering column, low side body cutouts, two circular instrument clusters on the dashboard and a hand brake on the left side. Willys struggled to reduce the weight to the new Army specification of 2,160 lbs. Items removed in order for the MA to reach that goal were reinstalled on the next-generation MB, resulting in a final weight of approximately just 400 lbs. above the specifications.

Willys-Overland produced almost 360,000 Jeep vehicles at the Toledo, Ohio, plant between October 1941 and August 1945. WWII reporter Ernie Pyle once said, "It did everything. It went everywhere. Was as faithful as a dog, as strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carried twice what it was designed for and still kept going."

The rugged, reliable olive-drab vehicle would forever be known for helping win a world war. Willys trademarked the Jeep name after the war and planned to turn the vehicle into an off-road utility vehicle for the farm – the civilian Universal Jeep. One of Willys' slogans at the time was, “The Sun Never Sets on the Mighty Jeep,” and the company set about making sure the world recognised Willys as the creator of the vehicle.

Willys trademarked the Jeep name and, even before WWII was over, began building the brand's first civilian model, the CJ-2A.

A Jeep 4x4 for the masses

The 1945 CJ-2A became the world’s first light-duty four-wheel-drive vehicle available in mass quantity to the general public. While the CJ-2A shared the basic architecture of the MB, there were several notable improvements. These included a fold-down tailgate, side-mounted spare tyre, larger headlights and a power take-off unit.

Following on from the success of the CJ-2A, Jeep created the first SUV. In 1946, Willys-Overland introduced the industry’s first all-steel-body station wagon – the Willys Wagon – but the real groundbreaking news was in 1949 when four-wheel drive was added to the wagon to create the first SUV. Capable of carrying seven passengers in comfort, hauling cargo and tackling even the toughest trail, the Willys Wagon was a game changer. The Brooks Stevens-designed Wagon was in production for nearly 20 years – longer than any other contemporary American automobile of its day.

In 1963, Jeep Wagoneer was launched and created a new benchmark as the original premium SUV that combined four-wheel drive with an automatic transmission. Featuring options that were, up until then, only available in high-end passenger cars, the Wagoneer changed what people expected of a four-wheel-drive vehicle. This broadened the market and appeal of 4x4 vehicles and created the modern SUV, one that was advertised as “All-New, All-Jeep.” Two decades later, Jeep launched the Grand Wagoneer, which brought the 4X4 premium experience to the next level with standard features such as leather upholstery, air conditioning, AM/FM/CB radio, sound insulation and wood graining.

The energy crisis of 1979 spurred the development of a smaller 4x4. The 1984 Jeep Cherokee XJ was designed from the ground up and was the world’s first compact SUV. Using a unibody structure, the vehicle was much smaller than its predecessor yet retained 90 percent of its interior space. The vehicle featured the shift-on-the-fly Command-Trac four-wheel-drive system.

Since 1941, Jeep has become more than a manufacturer of vehicles, the brand has become synonymous with its community and the lifestyle its vehicles enable. In 1953, the first Jeep Jamboree took place at the Georgetown Divide in California, attracting 55 vehicles and 155 participants. This event demonstrated just how much owners of Jeep vehicles love getting together for fun, camaraderie and 4x4 adventure. While Jeep Jamboree proudly holds events on trails all over the United States, one of the most popular is the Rubicon Trail, which traverses the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California -- arguably the most gruelling 17 miles of off-roading adventure anywhere. Few brands on earth have gone on to generate as much dedication and commitment from its community as the Jeep brand. In every corner of the globe, on every day, there are displays of passion from owners and fans.

Assets

Historic imagery

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ENDS

Jeep® Brand

Built on more than 80 years of legendary heritage, Jeep® is the authentic SUV brand that delivers legendary off-road capability, interior refinement, high-tech features, and versatility to people who seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep® brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a broad portfolio of vehicles that continues to provide owners with a sense of safety and security to handle any journey with confidence. Jeep® Wave, a premium owner loyalty and customer care program that is available to the entire Jeep® 4x4 lineup, is filled with benefits and exclusive perks to deliver Jeep® brand owners the utmost care and dedicated 24/7 support. The legendary Jeep® brand’s off-road capability is enhanced by a global electrification initiative that is transforming 4xe into the new 4x4 in pursuit of the brand’s vision of accomplishing Zero Emission Freedom and added 4x4 capability. All Jeep® brand vehicles will offer an electrified variant by 2025.

www.jeep.co.uk

Contacts    

Manesh Taank, PR Manager  07841 569038             Manesh.taank@stellantis.com       

Krystyna Perry, Head of PR   07710 062783             krystyna.perry@stellantis.com