With the start of WWII the U.S. Military had a definite need for a four wheel drive vehicle that had the ability to be easily transported, and was rugged enough to stand up to the demands of the battlefield.

The military approached several existing manufactureres - the Bantam Corporation (a small manufacturer famous for a two seater roadster), the Willy's Overland Corporation, and Ford. The three companies set out to design this much needed vehicle, but the nimble team from Bantam came up with the first design. The military loved it and had a significant demand for the vehicle, much more than the Bantam corporation had the ability to provide. So, the U.S. Military had all three manufacturers build the vehicle to the exact same spec for the duration of the war.

As the war ended, the Willy's corporation had become the premier provider of the vehicle. They had ramped up production capability and wanted to keep selling the vehicle after the war. This began the birth of the the "CJ" or Civilian Jeep. The CJ initially identical to the military vehicle began to slightly change. The CJ5 was built from 1955 to 1983 in almost the exact same style.

The CJ7 was build from 1976 to 1986 and is truly the last great CJ. The CJ7 has a slightly longer wheelbase than the CJ5 but is otherwise identical.

I currently own a 1986 CJ7 that I am in the process of returning to stock condition. It has an inline 6 258 cubic inch 4.2L motor. It has the T5 transmission.