The administration building of Bantam Jeep has been vacant for a long time. It burned Nov 2, 2025. The remains will be torn down.
 |
| 2:59 video @ 0:05 via TheAutoPian |
 | |
|
When I think of Jeep, I think of Willys-Overland in Toledo, OH. But it was developed by American Bantam Car Company in Butler, PA. The building is in an industrial area, and I could not get a decent street view of it for a "before" image. Fortunately, I found a drone photo of it.
 |
| Whiskey Rebellion, Jun 2022 |
 |
| Top Shelf Butler News posted A substantial fire is currently raging at the former Bantam Jeep building in Butler, Pa.'s Lyndora area, with multiple fire companies on site. |
 |
| ExperienceButler "The American Bantam Car Company invented, developed and produced one of the most famous vehicles in the world – the jeep. It all happened here in Butler, PA. "In 1940, the U S Army asked 135 tractor and auto manufacturers to design a four-wheel drive, 40 horsepower, 1,300 pound reconnaissance car that could haul soldiers as well as heavy artillery. The challenge? The designer was expected to have a working prototype available for a test run within 49 days. "Only two companies responded to the request, The American Bantam Car Company of Butler, Pa. and Willys-Overland Motors of Toledo, Ohio. Because Bantam promised to deliver the prototype in 45 days, they won contract. "Bantam’s Factory Manager Frank Fenn, former General Motors Executive Arthur Brandt and a skeleton work crew were feverishly working on the project when Fenn called freelance designer Karl Probst in Detroit and offered him the design job. Probst agreed to design the car in five days and forgo payment for his services if Bantam did not win the Army contract. "The Bantam prototype was called the Bantam Reconnaissance Car, or BRC. After maintaining a frantic schedule for nearly seven weeks, the Bantam group managed to bring the layouts and spec sheets to life. "Ralph Turner of Butler drove the vehicle to Camp Holabird, Maryland on September 23. The Army tested it for 30 days. Unfortunately, Bantam could not meet the Army’s production demands of 75 vehicles per day. The Army gave Ford and Willys the Bantam’s blueprints and they produced the vehicles the Army required. Ford and Willys fulfilled the Army’s contracts for 600,000 Jeeps for World War II. "Bantam produced a total of 2,675 jeeps and never produced another vehicle after that. They then produced ‘jeep’ cargo trailers, torpedo motors and other items until they closed in 1956." |
ButlerHistory has similar text to that above for ExperienceButler, but they have a production number of 650,000. I've read the number that 350,000 were produced by Willis, but I can't find that reference.
I wonder if they will save the smokestack as a monument to the Jeep legacy.
 |
| Kaiser Willys Auto Supply posted Our hearts are heavy today. The historic Bantam Jeep factory — where the original Jeep legacy was born — has been lost to a devastating fire. This is a profound loss for the entire Jeep community and for American automotive history. We at Kaiser Willys want to thank the brave firefighters who battled the blaze and worked tirelessly to protect what they could. Though the building is a loss, the Jeep spirit lives on — in every restoration, every trail, and every member of the Jeep family who keeps this legacy alive. 🇺🇸 |
No wonder they designed the Jeep, they had experience building small trucks.
 |
| James Rodriguez commented on the above post My father had a 1929 Bantam delivery truck . It was used as an ice block delivery truck. My brother and I by the 1929 Bantam. |
 |
| Lou Schwartz commented on the above post, cropped We just saw this 1939 Bantam at a car show yesterday. |
Pullman Standard freight car manufacturing was also in this industrial area.
 |
| 1958/59 Butler Quad @ 24,000 |
No comments:
Post a Comment