From what I heard over the years...Jeep was a slang way of referring to the GP moniker these vehicles had. GP standing for general purpose. Also the Jeep was a character from the Popeye comics.
After the war the government was selling surplus Jeeps to the public and this is how they were delivered.
That was my understanding. I'm sure someone will correct me.
Pretty good. Minor nuances:
1. No one REALLY knows where “Jeep” came from- but the most held and supported theory is that “GP” aka “general purpose” was said as a word: “gee-p.” Much the same way the Hummer aka Humvee got its name.
2. This method of shipping was from WW2. Jeeps were assembled and packed on mass pallets to be freighted to ports from the factory. They were then boxed up like this to fit on ships and cross the sea to the fronts. Some Jeeps would have been stored and sold this way as surplus later after the war since there was no reason to unbox them all and assemble them just to retire them and they were already often boxed up.
In the United States- effectively no crates Jeeps are known to exist or have existed after the war. It cost a lot of money to crate and ship Jeeps, and they only needed created to send overseas. A great deal of material shipped overseas was left overseas. The Ww2 era Jeeps state side were fairly rare as surplus. Most were scrapped and sold as parts. Whole military Jeeps purchased in the US tended to be mostly reconstructed from parts or modified CJ’s. In other countries buying a crated military Jeep post war was more likely. Reproduction Jeeps and crates exist for enthusiasts as do rare originals to build your own set up.
After the war the government was selling surplus Jeeps to the public and this is how they were delivered.
That was my understanding. I'm sure someone will correct me.
1. No one REALLY knows where “Jeep” came from- but the most held and supported theory is that “GP” aka “general purpose” was said as a word: “gee-p.” Much the same way the Hummer aka Humvee got its name.
2. This method of shipping was from WW2. Jeeps were assembled and packed on mass pallets to be freighted to ports from the factory. They were then boxed up like this to fit on ships and cross the sea to the fronts. Some Jeeps would have been stored and sold this way as surplus later after the war since there was no reason to unbox them all and assemble them just to retire them and they were already often boxed up.