The Ford Pygmy is one of two pilot vehicles submitted by Ford in response to the U.S. Army's requirement for a "light reconnaissance and command car" during the military build-up prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, which later became better known as the World War II jeep. The Pygmy is the oldest known survivor of the original -ton pilot vehicles tested by the Army, delivered to them six days before the oldest surviving competitor.

History

American Bantam was the first to deliver a pilot vehicle to the Army on 23 September 1940.

Willys-Overland Willys (pronounced , "Willis") was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II–era military jeeps (MBs), Willys ...

followed with its Quad on 13 November. On 23 November, Ford delivered two pilot vehicles to Camp Holabird, Maryland for testing: the Pygmy and a second vehicle with a body built by the

Budd Company The Budd Company was a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars, airframes, missile and space vehicles, and various defense produ ...

. The Budd-bodied vehicle more closely resembled the Bantam pilot and was not tested by the Army. Both the Willys and Ford vehicles were heavily based on the Bantam Pilot design. The Pygmy was hand-built in the Ford development shop in Dearborn, Michigan using parts from Ford's commercial and agricultural lines. It was the first of the pilot vehicles to feature a flat grill with headlamps positioned behind it for protection, an intermediate bow for the canvas top, its fuel tank mounted inside the body under the driver's seat, and a two‐piece opening/folding windshield with a round tubing frame. Another innovation was headlamps positioned on hinged brackets which allowed them to be pivoted to illuminate the engine compartment at night. All of these design features were ultimately incorporated into the standard World War II

jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

, the The pilot vehicles were the property of the manufacturer and after testing was complete, the army returned them. The Pygmy was donated to the Henry Ford Museum by

Henry Ford II Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), commonly known as Hank the Deuce, was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford. He served as president ...

in 1948. It was acquired at auction by a private collector in 1982, and is now in the collection of the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum in Huntsville, Alabama where it is preserved in virtually original un-restored condition. The second Ford pilot was discovered in 1998 derelict in a field in California. It was obtained by a private collector in the United Kingdom and has been restored. Neither the original Bantam Pilot nor the Willys Quad are known to have survived. The oldest (and only) known surviving Bantam BRC‐60, serial number 1007, belongs to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

and is currently displayed at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was delivered to the Army 29 November 1940, six days after the Pygmy arrived at Camp Holabird for testing.

Gallery

File:Ford Pygmy Grill.JPG, Flat grill and recessed headlights File:Ford Pygmy intermediate top bow.JPG, Intermediate top bow File:Ford Pygmy fuel tank.JPG, Fuel tank positioned under driver seat, inside tub File:Ford Pygmy Windshield.JPG, Two-piece opening/folding Windshield File:Ford Pygmy Headlight.JPG, Hinged headlight bracket

Notes

References

External links

* The Ford Pygmy a
U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum
* Ford Pygmy a
Olive-Drab

World’s oldest existing jeep
prototype, the Ford Pygmy, to go on National Historic Vehicle Register -

Hemmings Motor News ''Hemmings Motor News'' is a monthly magazine catering to traders and collectors of antique, classic, and exotic sports cars. It is the largest and oldest publication of its type in the United States, with sales of 215,000 copies per month, and ...

The Ford Pygmy on "This Car Matters"
- video series by the

Historic Vehicle Association The Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) was founded in 2009 in America to promote the cultural and historical significance of the automobile, and protect the future of automotive history. The society has been an influential part of the U.S. Depart ...

{{WWII US Soft Vehicles Jeep concept vehicles World War II military vehicles Jeep Off-road vehicles World War II vehicles of the United States Military light utility vehicles

Pygmy In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a po ...

Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944