Developed in 1941 as a competitor to the Bantam 40 BRC and the Willys MA, the Ford GP, also popularly called the »Blitz Buggy«, showed a significant similarity to the latter.
In total, 3700 were produced before production switched to the Willys MB early in 1942.
But other than Bantam, Ford continued the ¼-ton production as it co-produced the MB with minor changes as the Ford GPW.
Some 1500 samples were reserved for Foreign Aid, mainly to Britain, but it can be assumed that some of these also reached the Russian ports as part of Lend-Lease.
The acronym »GP« officially means »Government. Passenger«, but is commonly refered to as »General Purpose«.