Nissan Patrol KL60 - Better well copied...
Summary
...than badly homemade, is a well-known designer's adage. When Nissan wanted to develop its own off-road vehicle in the early 1950s, the Japanese took the Willys MB as a model. From 1960 onwards, the successor looked like a Land Rover. But what does that matter if it is just as talented off-road?
This article contains the following chapters
- Enlarged copy
- Many models, one engine
- With tin roof 19,600 francs
- Second career abroad
Estimated reading time: 6min
Preview (beginning of the article)
It was not only Germany that was largely a field of rubble after the Second World War. Japan was also reduced to rubble after British and American bombing raids. Roads and infrastructure were destroyed and some areas could not be reached by normal cars even years later. In 1950, the Japanese government therefore announced a competition to develop a light off-road vehicle for the military, police and fire department. The model was to be the US Army jeep. While Nissan and Toyota then began their own developments, Mitsubishi took the most pragmatic route and entered into license negotiations with Willys-Overland in December 1950. The Americans were looking for a partner who would build the Jeep in Japan in order to be able to supply the US troops in the Korean War more quickly. By the time the first Mitsubishi J was finally completed in February 1953, the war was almost over. However, the Japanese authorities were happy to help.
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