Posted by Paul Cook on December 17, 1999 at 13:33:01:
In Reply to: Re: GEEZ LOUISE! Guess I better explain, Brian posted by Bill Wincapaw on December 16, 1999 at 19:08:47:
In WW2, "Jeep" was a nickname for the "Truck, 1/4 ton, 4x4" manufactured by both Willys-Overland and Ford. Since the end of WW2 "Jeep" has been a registered trade mark owned by Willys-Overland, Kaiser-Willys, Kaiser-Jeep, American Motors Corporation (AMC), Chrysler, and now Mercedes-Chrysler. (I think I have that corporate daisy chain right. If not, I will be endlessly attacked on this although it does not alter the discussion of "Jeep")
The M-151 was originally built by Ford and introduced as the military utility truck, tactical - acronym, "MUTT" (The politics of MacNamarra going from CEO of Ford to SecDef - and the military suddenly needing to replace the military version of the "Jeep", the M-38A1 - and Ford having a number of MUTT prototypes ready for testing before the announcement not withstanding)
The correct military nomenclature of those two trucks was "Truck, Utility, 1/4 ton, 4x4" identified further as M-38A1 or M-151 respectively.
I have seen ads for a "Toyota Jeep with wench" and wondered if the wench uses "Scotty" "Kleenexes" and keeps her food in a "Westinghouse" "Frigidaire" Because we regularly interchange generic terms with brand names, it is time to cut some slack. The Mercedes Chrysler merger makes the WW2 military Dodges, their civilian successor called Power Wagons and now the "Jeep" and the "Unimog" all members of the same corporate family. VC, WC, M-series Dodges, and Power Wagons are all big brothers of the post WW2 military and civilian "Jeeps" and the "Unimog" is their very ugly uncle.
There are no M-151's in the "Jeep" family, easy to maintain or not. After Ford's initial M-151 production, AM General took over. The M-151 and the "Hummer" are family.
"A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet." Happy Holidays.