As the winds of war rose in the middle of last century, the U.U. government pushed development of a new basic utility vehicle. It was a small and simple design intended to run reliably through the snows of the Apennines, the sands of the Suez and the swamps of Corregidor. Military jargon condensed its General purpose designation to G, ultimately pronounced “Jeep.”
When the shooting subsided and everyone went back to home and hobbies, the gritty charm of terrain-tackling vehicles like the M-38 Jeep gave birth to the sport of off-roading. Jeep vehicles remained at the center of the movement through the years with evolutionary models such as the CJ-2 and CJ-3A. In 1957, the CJ-5 appeared, a product of Jeep Corporation. As a member of the American Motors family, the CJ-5 carried on, refined over its wartime forebears, yet unmistakably of their seed. Simple, bouncy ruggedness was an inbred trait of the line.
In 1976, a CJ-5 stretch bowed, the slightly larger, more commodious CJ-7. The vehicles were identical in every way except for length and interior room.
The Development of the CJ family continued with the Scrambler. Another stretch and the incorporation of a compact pickup box enhanced the tried-and-true chassis and running gear.
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