American Bantam Pilot Reconnaissance Car No. 1
A tiny Pennsylvania company accepted a 49-day deadline and drove the first working quarter-ton reconnaissance prototype into an Army test camp on time.
1940 American Bantam Pilot Reconnaissance Car No. 1 cover · Unnamed U.S. Army personnel · Public domain (U.S. Government work)
Research pending
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More than a set of wheels.
The Army wanted one low, light four-wheel-drive machine to do jobs previously split among motorcycles and larger trucks. American Bantam's team turned drawings into a running pilot in 49 days and delivered it to Camp Holabird, Maryland, on September 23, 1940. Its layout became the starting point for the military vehicle later known everywhere as the jeep.
Look a little closer.
The Pilot weighed about 1,940 lb even though the Army's original target was only 1,300 lb; it still arrived on deadline and entered testing.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
One pilot before the BRC-60
The hand-built September vehicle was No. 1, also nicknamed the Pilot or Blitz Buggy. The squarer BRC-60 test vehicles came afterward. Keeping those stages separate matters because the Smithsonian's surviving serial 1007 is number 7 of the later batch, not the original Pilot.
Source: Smithsonian · Bantam Jeep Prototype, serial 1007 ↗Speed through smart parts choices
Bantam's own small-car engine was not powerful enough, so the team selected a Continental four and paired it with a Warner gearbox and Spicer four-wheel-drive parts. Reusing proven supplier components let the designers focus their scarce time on packaging and fabrication.
Source: WarWheels · Bantam Reconnaissance Car No. 1 ↗Where these facts come from
- American Bantam · The Original Jeep
- Smithsonian · The little Jeep that could
- Smithsonian · Bantam Jeep Prototype, serial 1007
- WarWheels · Bantam Reconnaissance Car No. 1
- Military Vehicle Trust · Jeep history
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.