Ford was the largest and most financially stable war-time producer of the jeep. Their production efforts begin with the Ford GP Pygmy. The Pygmy was equipped with a modified tractor engine rated at 45 hp. It was considered a fairly modern engine for its day. Ford was selected along with the other three producers of the jeep to build 1500 examples for further Army testing. Finally, the Army let a bid for 16,000 jeeps in a winner take all. Willys submitted the lowest overall price and was awarded the contract. Ford was subsequently asked to produce the Willys version (which was known as the Ford GPW) and eventually produced over 250,000 jeeps by August 1945.
Picture Sources: National Archives (online) and the Army Hertiage and Education Center