Editing Jeep (section)

===Development – 2. Willys and Ford===
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|image1 = Pygmy01 (cropped).jpg
|caption1 = Ford Pygmy during testing at Camp Holabird, Maryland ({{circa|1940}})
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|caption2 = Dashboard of World War II era jeep in [[Imperial War Museum]] (2007)
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The Army thought that the Bantam company lacked the production capacity to manufacture and deliver the required number of vehicles, so it supplied the Bantam design to [[Willys]] and [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], and encouraged them to enhance the design. The resulting [[Ford Pygmy|Ford "Pygmy"]] and Willys "Quad" prototypes looked very similar to the [[Bantam BRC]] prototype, and Spicer supplied very similar four-wheel drivetrain components to all three manufacturers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jeep-history.com/fordjeep.asp |title=Ford Manufacturers a Jeep |publisher=Jeep History |access-date=4 July 2012 |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415153434/http://www.jeep-history.com/fordjeep.asp }}</ref>

[[File:CaastroValleyMay2008parade-016.jpg|thumb|left|Jeep with [[M2 Browning machine gun|50 cal. Browning machine gun]] (2008)]]
1,500 of each model (Bantam BRC-40, Ford GP, and Willys MA) were built and extensively field-tested. After the weight specification was revised from {{convert|1275|lb|kg|abbr=on}} to a maximum of {{convert|2450|lb|kg|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Akl0LXTXeT8C&q=weight+requirement+Jeep&pg=PA68 |title=Bantam, Ford and Willys-1/4-Ton Reconnaissance Cars|last=Notman |first=Robert |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84728-188-3 |page=68 |publisher=Lulu.com |access-date=17 October 2020}}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}} including oil and water, Willys-Overland's chief engineer [[Delmar "Barney" Roos]] modified the design in order to use Willys's heavy but powerful "[[Willys Go Devil engine|Go Devil]]" engine, and won the initial production contract. The Willys version became the standard jeep design, designated the [[Willys MB|model MB]], and was built at their plant in [[Toledo, Ohio]]. The familiar pressed-metal Jeep grille was a Ford design feature and incorporated in the final design by the Army.

Because the US War Department required a large number of vehicles in a short time, Willys-Overland granted the US Government a non-exclusive license to allow another company to manufacture vehicles using Willys' specifications. The Army chose Ford as a second supplier, building Jeeps to the Willys' design. Willys supplied Ford with a complete set of plans and specifications.<ref name="1940–1941">{{cite web |website=How Stuff Works |title=1940–1941 Jeep|url= https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1940-1941-jeep.htm#pt5 |date=14 December 2007 |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref> American Bantam, the creators of the first Jeep, built approximately 2,700 of them to the BRC-40 design, but spent the rest of the war building heavy-duty trailers for the Army.