Driving Fans honors all veterans on Veteran’s Day, and thanks all those who have served. Even the mechanical ones. You knew that was coming, right? Of course you did. The world’s armed forces have given us plenty of automotive veterans, as military vehicles have adapted to civilian life and ordinary cars and trucks have been pressed into military service. Here are a few of the most memorable.
Jeep: Of course, the granddaddy of them all is the Jeep. The general-purpose four-wheel drive evolved from a design for a light reconnaissance vehicle by Bantam, and was ultimately produced by Willys and Ford. The original Willys MB was used Allied forces during WWII, nicknamed “Jeep,” and spawned a brand name and an entirely new class of automobiles, as the versatile little go-anywhere vehicle became an icon. Today’s Wrangler still bears a passing resemblance to the original Willys version.
Hummer H1: The original Hummer followed a path similar to that of the Jeep. The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMVW) was developed for military service and crossed over into civilian life in the early 1990s. This highly specialized off-roader, renamed “Hummer,” wasn’t easily domesticated or cheap, but it was sufficiently high-profile to grow into General Motors’ Hummer brand of burly off-roaders.
Mercedes G-Class: We can honor foreign veterans, too. Mercedes developed the Gelandewagen as a military vehicle in 1972 and it went on sale to civilian buyers in 1979. The G-Class saw service as a fire engine and police vehicle as well as military use. It wasn’t until 2002 that it officially reached U.S. shores, with its sturdy, go-anywhere construction intact and a lot of high-luxury frippery added. The G-Class is still in production with few changes, much to the delight of its many dedicated fans. It’s the longest-running model line in Mercedes’ portfolio.
Kaiser Jeep M715: The Kaiser M715 was not developed for military service, but answered the call of duty from 1967 to ’69. The distinctive Jeep Gladiator pickup truck was purchased by the U.S. military as a replacement for the aging Dodge M37, and became one of the few military vehicles that was stylish as well as rugged.
General Motors CUCV: Though they wore familiar faces, the Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV) produced by GM for the military from 1984 to ’87 was dedicated heavy-duty trucks. A conglomeration of the heaviest-duty components from GM’s broad light-commercial truck lineup, the CUCV was powered by a 6.2 liter Detroit Diesel engine and a 1 1/4-ton payload. A number of different body styles enabled the CUCV to perform as a support vehicle adapted to many disciplines.
