Invention of the Jeep
Butler Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
In September 1940 a team headed by Karl Probst delivered to the U.S. Army a prototype for the World War II jeep. This small, four-wheel drive vehicle was produced by the American Bantam Car Co., located one block east. Here, Bantam manufactured 2,675 jeeps. Although larger companies ultimately received the chief wartime orders, it was Bantam--in cooperation with the Army--that originally created the jeep.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
As war spread across Europe in 1940, the U.S. Army sought a nimble, all-terrain scout car, and a small Butler County firm answered the call. A team led by engineer Karl Probst designed a light four-wheel-drive prototype that the American Bantam Car Company delivered to the Army that September, building 2,675 of the vehicles here. Though larger automakers eventually won the mass wartime contracts, it was Bantam that first created the machine the world would come to know as the jeep.
Why it matters
The jeep became one of the most iconic and versatile vehicles of World War II, and its origin here credits a small Pennsylvania company with an invention that helped move armies and later transformed civilian driving.
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Related people
- · Karl Probst
Related events
- · World War II
Themes & tags
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