The original WWII Willys Jeep was as simple as it gets, no airbags, no seatbelts, no electronics just steel and guts.
It was a light and tough 4x4, easy to work on and you could fix almost anything with basic tools. You could tear the whole Jeep down in less than 5 minutes.
If someone tried to build one today, same size, same style, could it actually pass modern safety and emissions standards?
Or would the rules make a true “modern Willys” impossible?
Curious what engineers, mechanics, and everyone else thinks. It would save people so much money.
You said no airbags and then asked if it could pass modern standards. No of course not if you crash at speed you are dead
Ok so you add airbags, make it road worthy with today’s standards and still make it be able to tear down in 5 minutes. You make it electric to compete with China’s shitty electric vehicles. You make it cheap and easy to fix, no mechanics. Open source vehicle. Universal parts. Frame rusts out, order a new one and just replace it yourself in a day or two.
There’s a lot more engineering going on with safety standards than that. It’s not just slapping on seatbelts and airbags.
Getting impaled on the steering column used to be common in a crash. How the vehicle crushes around you, and not into you, is a big deal. There’s no way the old Jeep could even come close to modern safety standards.
Basically, having everyone drive around in a metal box at 60mph or more is inherently unsafe. Everything we do to try to make them safe also makes them heavy and expensive. Even then, it’s mostly focused on safety of the passengers, not people walking or biking outside the car. There are some exceptions, but pedestrians have particularly been ignored with the trend of oversized trucks. The project here would basically be speedrunning the last 80 years of car safety development, and you’d come to more or less the same result.
There’s some arguments out there that if we have cars at all, they should be limited to 20mph outside of highways. The chance of a pedestrian being killed in a collision goes up exponentially with the speed of the vehicle, and that factor really starts to take off after 20mph.
If that’s what would happen, then things other than a car start to look like a more viable option.
I think height and especially weight limits for non-commercial vehicles would also go a long way towards making roads safer too.
It would end the arms race of bigger and bigger SUVs to “keep my family safe”.
Would it though? The reason there’s an SUV/Truck arms race is mostly related to a tariff bypass for “light duty” vehicles. Basically, it’s cheaper and more profitable to convince Americans to love SUVs and Trucks because of some fucking chicken tax 80 years ago.
That’s why there aren’t competitors in “light” trucks. And why we don’t have nice small ones anymore either. But the size race has largely been about a combination of manliness and thinking they’re safer in a bigger car (which to some extent is true, but at the cost of everything else in its path)
What makes you say Chinas EVs are shitty? Have you seen any of the specs? Have you heard about any tests? Have you read the recent reports from Western sources about quality?
And if you want to stick with state-side motors, you are likely looking for the Slate EV.
So modernize the vehicle? Sounds like a hobbyists project
I have experience with these. I learned to drive stick in one.
So they would in no way pass modern emissions standards, they also run on leaded 65+ octane fuel although regular fuel would work.
They have very little HP, less than 50, but im not sure, maybe 25-35.
The gearbox is unsynchronized and a 3 speed. The top speed is around 45 MPH I think.
It also wouldn’t pass modern safety standards since it has no roll bar or crumple zones.
There’s no reason to use leaded fuel. Lead was just used as an octane booster. People say that it helps lubricate the valves or whatever, but it’s a myth. You might eventually have issues if you run e10 fuel because that stuff isn’t good for fuel systems in the first place.
I am aware, I was more so saying it to show how old and underpowered the engine is. It does have very low crawler gears though.
This guys sells a boxed/crate 1942 replica if you are interested
https://thejeepsterman.com/products/jeep-in-crate-mb-1942-willys-jeep
Pretty neat but $15k for a little tub (these things are the size of a modern UTV or Suzuki Samurai) and wheels seems pretty crazy. Not to mention what I imagine to be shipping costs in the range of thousands of dollars. You’ll have to buy an engine, transmission, transfer case, axles, and fuel system which could easily run you another $15k, then assemble it all for another $15k if you’re paying someone, and another $15k for paint and bodywork. Easily $60k for a 1940s era technology with 60HP and absolutely zero creature comforts.
Jerry and Jobe, formerly of Donut Media and currently of Big Time, bought one that was mildly restored from Meacum or Barrett Jackson auctions for something like $14k and they haven’t even been able to sell it again for the same price after.
Then again as a car guy, I can understand the financial decision-making process when it comes to the hobby.
They do. Mahindra roxor.
I like the idea. But new vehicles are required at the federal level to have at least airbags, stability control, backup cameras, and soon automatic braking.
And US standards are nothing compared to EU GSR requirements. All sorts of mandatory safety systems are required nowadays.
Sadly a simply manufactured, safe, and easy to work on with minimal training vehicle has little profit incentive for the manufacturer and therefore not attractive to venture capital. No one will make and support it if it can’t make them as rich as Elon. From a consumer perspective, I am intrigued, but in the western world I think this is a pipe dream.
Yes, and apparently a Chinese company is doing it
