Why Do Jeeps Have A Seven-slot Grille? There's More Than One Theory

We're digging heavy into nan rabbit spread today. You see, location are some, let's telephone them "divergent," theories astir why Willys put a seven-slot grille connected civilian Jeeps starting successful 1945 erstwhile nan subject type had 9 slots. It's not arsenic overmuch of a enigma arsenic nan Jeep Wrangler "ducking" phenomenon and its baffling ubiquity, but 1 conspiracy astatine a time.

If you commencement going down nan rabbit way connected Google, you're going to find a batch of articles that either declare to person nan definitive reply aliases propulsion their metaphorical hands successful nan aerial and say, "We don't know, it could beryllium 1 of these reasons." The first, and astir communal theory, goes that Ford had a patent/trademark/copyright connected nan stamped-steel nine-slot grille it designed for nan project. Willys-Overland wasn't allowed to usage it, aliases astatine slightest feared Ford capable to not moreover try, truthful nan institution trademarked a seven-slot grille instead. Sure, Willys had revenge for nan "Jeep" trademark successful 1943 and had it granted successful 1950, and there's nary mention of a grille design, 7 slots aliases different successful nan paperwork, but let's not get up of ourselves pinch busting myths conscionable yet. 

The 2nd mentation is that nan seven-slot grille represents nan 7 continents wherever nan Jeep saw subject service. The 3rd and astir apt biggest agelong of a mentation is that nan 7 slots someway mention to nan 7 months it took to design, nan 7 group who designed it, aliases nan 7 years needed for accumulation and development.

Philip Openshaw/Getty Images

Addressing nan 3rd mentation first, Ford, Bantam, and Willys-Overland each reached nan Army's last information of bidding successful 1940 and had 49 days to present a prototype. The last merchandise utilized bits of Bantam's design, Spicer's transportation lawsuit and differential, Willys' Go-Devil engine, and Ford's bodywork. And they crushed it, which is why 80-year-old Jeeps still person nan goods today. But you'll announcement there's thing seven-ish here. Well, 7x7=49, truthful possibly nan seven-slot grille is simply a mathematics nerd joke astir nan prototype timeline? 

Then there's nan "seven continents" theory, which has nary archiving to support it. Nothing from Willys-Overland, Ford, aliases nan Army exists saying that location should beryllium 7 slots to correspond continents. Besides, nan first American subject activity successful Antarctica was Operation Highjump successful 1946. Unless location are immoderate time-travel shenanigans afoot aliases nan Jeep seven-slot grille exposes a pre-Highjump concealed Antarctic cognition that isn't connected nan grounds books, it's revisionist history.

The remaining mentation is that Ford's nine-slot grille creation was protected by a patent, trademark, aliases copyright, preventing Willys from utilizing it for nan CJ2A, nan first civilian Jeep. But not 1 website I recovered that claims "Ford wanted to protect its nine-slot design" is nan gospel truth will opportunity what nan patent/trademark/copyright number is, nor erstwhile it was issued. There's an April 7, 1942, subject patent, US2278450A, for nan "Military conveyance body," which nan US Patent and Trademark Office says is nan original Jeep patent, but there's nary grille successful nan drawings.

I decided to find nan mysterious oft-referenced Ford nine-slot grille paperwork by searching done each nan patent/trademark/copyright documents nan authorities printed betwixt May 1940 and December 1945, including nan Smithsonian's scans of U.S. patents, HathiTrust's scans of trademarks listed successful nan "Official Gazette of nan United States Patent Office," and nan U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System. I searched for "Ford" and "grille," poring done each reference to both, and there was not a azygous listing of a Ford nine-slot grille. Yes, I went done 5 years and 7 months' worthy of patent, trademark, and copyright filings. 

If nan 9 slots are that important, don't you deliberation Ford would person either made a conveyance that featured 1 aliases gone done immoderate nationalist wrangling pinch Willys complete a royalty for utilizing nine-slot grilles? When DaimlerChrysler still owned Jeep, nan institution un-quietly sued General Motors complete a seven-slot grille connected nan Hummer H2, truthful it's not for illustration automaker infighting stays a concealed for long.

The astir apt logic nan grille went from 9 slots to 7 is because of nan headlights. By 1941, each U.S. cars had switched to 7-inch headlights, but nan World War II Jeep's were 5 3/4 inches. Looking astatine nan subject and civilian grilles backmost to back, it's easy to spot that nan 2 outermost slots would person gotten trim successful half by nan larger lights, truthful Willys astir apt axed them for artistic reasons. That's much boring than ineligible wrangling betwixt Willys and Ford, but reality isn't concerned pinch making things interesting. Besides, reality is overseas capable that we don't request to make worldly up. Like, someone conscionable bought a marque caller Jeep Patriot successful 2025. Is that not weird capable for you?