The Go Devil had a displacement just over 134 cu in and had an L-head (valves parallel to cylinders) design – hence the L134 designation. The Army found that the weight limit was unattainable, so raised it to 2,160 lbs. They included: 4WD, seating for at least three, a wheelbase of 75 inches (later upped to 80 inches), have a fold-down windshield, a payload capacity of 660 lbs, the engine had to be capable 85 lb-ft of torque, and the vehicle had to have a dry weight of less than 1,300 lbs. On top of such a short turnaround, the specs were pretty daunting. Manufacturers were given 11 days to submit bids, 49 days to build their first prototype, and 75 days to have 70 test vehicles built. automotive manufacturers on July 11, 1940. To that end, the War Department developed a set of specs and submitted them to 135 U.S.
Knowing that made the Army feel an urgent need for an updated fleet of light battlefield vehicles. The United States War Department knew by the late 1930s that it may eventually become embroiled in a war in Europe. History of the JeepĪs with many innovations, Jeeps came into existence because of a war. Today, we want to take a look at the history of Jeep and several of the best engine units that the company has ever produced or worked with. Who hasn’t thought about crashing through the underbrush and throwing mud in a Jeep? Many Jeep engines have come and gone over the years some good, others trash. Jeep engines have been powering off-road dreams for more than 60 years.