Long before the first true Jeep logo came to be, t he U.S. Army contracted with the American Bantam Car Company, Willys-Overland, and Ford to create a general-purpose vehicle for the WWII effort.

In 1940-45, Willys-Overland built 362,894 Jeeps; Ford 285,660; American Bantam 2,676. Bantam also built around 60,000 trailers to haul gear behind Jeeps.

Willys-Overland and the 77 went into limbo. ... In 1967 the Hill brothers in Ohio received it in return for placing the "Mr. Gasket" advertising logos on the car.

Willys-Overland filed a trademark application for the name Jeep in 1943 and started selling "Civilian Jeep" CJ-2A, models in 1945, but it would be 1950 before the trademark was finally approved.

Long before the first true Jeep logo came to be, t he U.S. Army contracted with the American Bantam Car Company, Willys-Overland, and Ford to create a general-purpose vehicle for the WWII effort.