It is one of the first jeeps to have been created, created by Ford in order to win the off-road reconnaissance car bid for the US Army (see article on the history of jeep).
In the autumn of 1940 Ford worked on the specifications of the American army and was inspired by the drawings of Bantam (drawings of the Bantam Number One of September 23, 1940), which the American Army had made public.
Ford teams, under the management of chief designer Dale Roeder, worked throughout the fall to produce a prototype that could compete with the Bantam model. But Ford also played an important lobby of the military and pressured politicians so that in the minds of everyone the idea that Ford was the only manufacturer to be able to produce large-scale jeeps for the 'army.
On November 23, 1940, Ford delivered its first two prototypes to the Holabird Camp: the Ford Pygmy. Both models had the same chassis, but the first model was designed by Ford and the second by its subcontractor (Budd). The Budd model, derived directly from the Bantam, looked very similar to the Bantam BRC-60, while the Ford model had its own character. This last design was retained. It is important to note that the front so characteristic of the jeep comes from the Ford model: A flat front, flat gilles, the lights protected behind the grid.
This model had many advantages (the rectangular shape was exactly what the army had in mind, good tires, more room to sit, gearbox on the ground, etc.) but had a big black dot: the engine Was very weak compared to other models, especially at the Willys Quad. Also, this jeep was above the specifications regarding the weight.
Nevertheless this jeep was accepted and modifications were requested, resulting in the production of the Ford GP. The prototype of this model survived and is still visible today at the Veterans Memorial in Alabama. One source claims that the second Pygmy, not retained because it was made by Budd, was rediscovered in 1998 in California.
Specifications :
Motorization: 119.5 CID, 4 cyl, side valve 46 bhp at 3,600rpm (Fordson Model N tractor engine) 84 lbs-ft at 1,500 rpm
Weight: approx. 977 kgs
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