Legend has it that the word “jeep” comes from a slurring of “GP.” However, those letters didn’t stand for “General Purpose.” The letter “G” identified a government contract vehicle and the “P” meant it had an 80-inch wheelbase. The Army didn’t even use the General Purpose name in WWII.
As early as WWI, the military used the word “jeep” to describe a human recruit or new vehicle that hadn’t yet proven itself. According to Jp Magazine, “There is evidence it was used this way in the build-up of forces prior to the war and the conception of the 1/4-ton jeep.”
Eventually, “jeep” started being used as a word for something extraordinary, such as the Willys Quad that was driven up the steps outside of the U.S. Capitol building in 1941. When the test driver was asked what he was driving, he responded by saying, “It’s a jeep.”
It wasn’t until 1950 that Willys-Overland was granted the “Jeep” trademark because of earlier issues concerning the origins of the name and its initial application to a vehicle.
Punctuation still makes a big difference. “jeep” can be used to refer to any compact 4×4 and WWII jeeps built by Willys, Bantam, or Ford; “Jeep” is the trademark and is commonly attached to anything from 1945 and after.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
