Object Details
maker
American Bantam Car Company
Description
In 1940, the American Bantam Car Company of Butler, Pennsylvania constructed 62 quarter-ton, four-wheel-drive trucks. This is one of the prototypes of the famous army vehicle known as the Jeep. During World War II, when the army was looking for a vehicle to replace the motorcycle as a mechanized form of transportation, it came up with the Jeep. Willys-Overland Motors, the Ford Motor Company, and the Bantam firm produced jeeps in large numbers. According to one newspaper account, about 660,000 were made. Jeeps were incredibly important to the war effort and became for many a symbol of American ingenuity. The museum's Bantam, bearing serial number 1007, was number 7 of the 62. It was delivered to the Army on November 29, 1940, and transferred to the museum in 1944.
Location
Currently on loan
Credit Line
United States War Department
date made
1940
ID Number
TR.312822
catalog number
312822
accession number
167398
Object Name
Automobile, 1/4 Ton, 1940
truck, Bantam
Other Terms
Automobile, 1/4 Ton, 1940; Road; Automobile
Measurements
overall: 128 in x 63 in x 59 in; 325.12 cm x 160.02 cm x 149.86 cm
place made
United States: Pennsylvania
See more items in
Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
America on the Move
Automobiles
Transportation
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_841492