In honor of Memorial Day, Robert Ross re-examines the origins of Jeep--a vehicle that ultimately turned the tides of WW2 for America. By delving back into interviews with author Paul Bruno and Director Head of Design for Jeep, along with a new interview with Randall Withrow of the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum (which houses an impressive collection of Jeeps used in the U.S. military, including the oldest surviving Jeep, the Ford Pygmy), Robert unpacks the underdog story of where Jeep came from and where it's going.

Episode Timestamps:

Prologue (0:00) - Robert introduces this very special episode examining the origins of Jeep and its pivotal role in WWII by considering where the name 'Jeep' actually came from.

Past (3:39) - Paul Bruno, author of ‘Project Management in History: The First Jeep’ and ‘The Original Jeeps,’ explains the unlikely origins of the first models of Jeep--made with minimal time in a period of national crisis. 

Present (16:17) - Randall Withrow of the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum explains what has been done to honor and preserve Jeeps since WWII and explains how the museum came to have its collection--including the original Ford Pygmy, which is a part of the National Register of Historic Vehicles.

Future (29:06)- Mark Allen, Director Head of Design at Jeep explains how the past designs inform the present and what the company has in mind for the future, as the brand growing into a worldwide name.

Epilogue (36:28) - Robert muses on how such a small and simply made car could have impacted the world so greatly. 

Special thanks to Casey Maxon and the Historic Vehicle Association.

Learn More:
https://memorialmuseum.org/

jeep.com

https://originaljeeps.com/

https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club/my-garage/78598943/national-historic-vehicle-register

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Hosted by: Robert Ross

Produced and Edited by: Chris Porter

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