Military Vehicle Spotlight: 1962 Ford M151
In 1951, the U.S. Army contracted Ford Motor Company to develop a new type of light utility truck that would incorporate the automotive industry’s latest innovations. The M151 was intended to be a lightweight, high-mobility replacement for the M38A1.
G-838 M151 Military Utility Tactical Truck (MUTT)
Weight: 2,140 lbs
Engine: Inline, 4 cylinders
Displacement: 141.5 cu. in.
Horsepower: 71 @ 3,800 rpm
Fuel: Gasoline
Fuel Capacity: 17.3 gallons
Maximum speed: 66 mph
Maximum range: 300 miles
HISTORICAL NOTE
In 1951, the U.S. Army contracted Ford Motor Company to develop a new type of light utility truck that would incorporate the automotive industry’s latest innovations. The M151 was intended to be a lightweight, high-mobility replacement for the M38A1, itself a successor to the famed World War II jeep.
Ford eventually settled on a design that combined a unibody with all-around independent suspension. Ford began production of the M151 in March 1960. A decade later, in 1962, Willys Motors underbid Ford and began producing the first of 14,625 M151 trucks. They won a second contract in December to produce a further 9,800 units.
This particular vehicle was restored and marked as a remembrance the Larry Elasser’s service as a Military Policeman assigned to Co. A, 385th MP Bn., 7th Army. He joined the unit in Bremerhaven, West Germany, on the Fourth of July, 1963.
From the staff of North America's no. 1 historic military vehicle source -- Military Vehicles Magazine
