38 Years Ago

Willys Motors Inc. will spend $600,000 in an advertising-merchandising campaign to support its all-new '63 model Wagoneer sport/utility vehicle and companion Gladiator truck lineup, developed at a cost in excess of $25 million. Unveiled to the public on Nov. 15, 1962, the Wagoneer is the first Jeep SUV to sport modern "passenger car" styling. The Wagoneer is available in 2- and 4-wheel-drive models, 2- and 4-door body styles along with a steel-side panel delivery truck. Wagoneer/Gladiator are the first vehicles to offer an automatic transmission (GM Hydra-matic) and independent front suspension (IFS) in combination with a 4wd system. Both are options. The 4wd IFS is a unique arrangement with torsion bars and a conventional drive axle with a center joint. The differential unit is part of, and moves in concert with, half of the axle housing. Problems with the heavy and complex IFS prompt Jeep to abandon the option after several years. Both wagon and pickup are powered by Willys'overhead cam (OHC) in-line 6-cyl. "Tornado" engine introduced six months earlier as the American industry's first mass-produced OHC engine. In March 1963, Kaiser Industries Corp. acquires Willys, and the company is renamed Kaiser Jeep Corp. In 1970, Jeep is acquired from Kaiser by American Motors Corp., which is in turn acquired by Chrysler Corp. in 1987. The Wagoneer (Grand Wagoneer after 1984) continued in production with virtually the same body through model year '92.