CJ-5
1954 - 1983
The long and successful career of the Jeep CJ-5 began in 1954 under the management of Kaiser-Frazer. The austere styling with the military note of its predecessor gave way to an overall rounded elegance. In contrast to its oldest colleague, the CJ-5 did not become a war participant since the US Army deployed the M38A1 in the Korean War (1950 until 1953). With a short wheelbase of 2120 mm and a length of just 3670 mm it was more of a two-seater fun car.
Compared to its slender ancestors, the CJ-5 is nevertheless an impressively sized automobile that is well-suited to a more powerful engine. For this reason Kaiser-Frazer purchased the design rights and all the necessary tooling from General Motors in order to produce the Buick V6 Dauntless engine, with a displacement of 3687 cm³ providing 155 HP (114 kW) as a replacement for the weaker four-cylinder Willys Hurricane-Motor offering 2639 cm³ and up to 132 HP (97 kW).
CJ-6
1954 - 1981
A stretched version of the Civilian Jeep at just under four meters was launched on the American market in 1955, but this family-friendly version did not prove particularly popular among the targeted customers in the USA, and the US Forest Service purchased fewer models than anticipated. This explains why sales in Jeep’s home country discontinued prematurely in 1975.
However, due to strong demand from Sweden and South America production continued until 1981 and ran to a total of 50,172 units in 26 years.
The CJ-6’s most prominent driver was and remained Ronald Reagan.
