There's Only One Jeep Every Thing Else Is Just a Copy. Welcome to Jeepism.
The first thing you should know is where the name Jeep really came from. NOT GP for General Purpose
Eugene is a character out of the comic strip Popeye, created by Elzie Crisler Segar. Popeye affectionately referred to Eugene as "Jeep". Eugene was a small, impish, 4 dimensional character that lived in a 3 dimensional world. As such, he was not constrained to the world we know - he could do wonderous things like walk through walls, walk on ceilings, appear out of nowhere. In short, he could go pretty much anywhere he wanted. Eugene the Jeep (C) appeared in Popyeye in 1936 - about 4 years before the US Army started testing its new 1/4 ton utility vehicle - which would eventually be called the Jeep (tm) Soldiers were so impressed with the new vehicle's go anywhere, do anything capabilities, that they were reminded of Eugene's character and so dubbed the new vehicle a Jeep (tm).
Cartoon from 1937, Popeye with Jeep.
Jeep on his modern name sake.
Ever wondered where the frase
"There's Only One Jeep"
came from? about 1941.
So if you get a Jeep you'll be driving a vehicle named after a cartoon charactor. We owe it all to Mr Eugene the Jeep. OH and all the General Purpose fans will tell you otherwise. But none of them can produce as much evidence as a real Jeep Enthusiast. Welcome To Eugenes Family. Legends like Jeep are made not born :D
[ 18 November 2002, 01:23 AM: Message edited by: Jeepdownunder ]