2015 Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival
Jeep Turns 75!
The traditional gift for a 75th anniversary is a diamond, and if a diamond is forever, the Jeep is eternal. The annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival in Butler, Pennsylvania from June 12-14 will celebrate the vehicle’s 75th birthday with speakers, historical exhibits, how-to demonstrations, and assorted outdoor activities for Jeep enthusiasts. Also on the agenda is an attempt to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the largest Jeep parade that was set in Butler in 2011 and has since been eclipsed.
All rides of life are welcome as long as they’re in the Jeep 4x4 family. “We will be offering on-site parade registration on June 12 between 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. for any Jeep owner who wants to help us bring the record back to Butler,” says Festival Director Patti Jo Lambert. Onsite registration for the parade will be at the South Butler Township Fire Hall and details can be found on the home page of BantamJeepFestival.com.
The Bantam’s Heralded Heritage
Another festival highlight will be the only re-creation of the world's original Jeep on display. The BRC (Bantam Reconnaissance Car) will be featured in the Jeep History Exhibit that will also present rare Jeeps from the 1940s, including the Willys MA and the Ford GP.
With a focus squarely on the Bantam Jeep’s heralded heritage, speakers also plan to touch on the unheralded aspects of the iconic vehicle. “I believe the whole story of how the first Jeep was created is one of the greatest underdog stories in American history and deserves more attention,” says Paul Bruno, author of Project Management in History: The First Jeep. He cites the Bantam Company’s tenacity as a big ingredient in the Jeep’s development as a military vehicle that won the war.
Built From Scratch
The Bantam has a legacy of being the prototype and predecessor of the Willys and what would ultimately come to be known as the Jeep. “The BRC was the first Jeep,” says David Kanally, President of the Bantam Reconnaissance Car 75th Anniversary Celebration Group (BRC 75). “It was the first to be designed, built and successfully delivered to the Army and the first to pass its grueling tests. It was the first to be produced in quantity and the first to be offered to the Allies for combat through the lend-lease program.”
“What people don’t realize is that about a dozen engineers built a vehicle from scratch in 49 days and that it worked so well is a testament to that team,” says Duncan Rolls, Master BRC Restorer. “It took me 3,500 hours to recreate the Bantam Pilot Jeep with over 450 slides,” he says. The painstaking process paid off in 2010 when his Pilot won the MVPA’s (Military Vehicle Preservation Association) Judges’ Choice award at the organization's International Convention.
Worthy of War Stories
The Bantam’s fascinating story happened against all odds. “The achievement includes a bankrupt company, lacking personnel and money in the depths of a vast recession in the midst the Great Depression, building the prototype in an impossible 49-day timeframe,” says Bruno. In 1940, the very fate of the free world was hanging in the balance and the Jeep played a pivotal role in tipping the scale.
“The iconic vehicle is still on the road today and I've always been interested in finding out exactly how something becomes a legend,” says Pat Foster, columnist at Hemmings Classic Car and author of Jeep: America's Greatest Vehicle. He wanted to probe a little deeper by relating particular stories of how Jeeps were vital in saving lives or making daring raids possible during World War II. “Over the years I've accumulated a number of pretty good war stories about Jeeps and my talk at the festival will detail them.”
Sponsors and Vendors
4Wheel Drive Hardware (4WD) is one of six Premier festival sponsors that also include Omix-ADA and BFGoodrich Tires. 4WD will sponsor the Show ’n Shine and Ruff ’n Tuff Competition as well as the event’s wristbands. The 4WD team will be also have a vendor booth with a large tent featuring Jeep merchandise for purchase and the 4 Wheel Parts Showroom on Wheels will offer Jeep tires and accessories.
Registration is higher than any other previous years and participants are coming from as far away as California, Utah, Nevada, Texas and Florida. “We have participants registered from 33 states and several Canadian provinces,” says Lambert. “And we will also have a Ford GPA on display - a Jeep that can swim!”
The Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival main event is at Cooper’s Lake Campground near Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. It begins this Friday, June 12 at 9 a.m. and concludes Sunday, June 14 at 3 p.m. Admission for spectators is $10 per day and $3 for children aged 3-12.
Get ready for the festival and learn more about the Jeep’s storied past with our Jeep history page, then follow the Jeep line back in time with our 4WD Jeep Family Tree.
