Few vehicles have had as large and lasting an impact on the world as the go-anywhere, do-anything Jeep. Here’s a brief but entertaining video tribute. 

The original Jeep truly was the universal vehicle—so universal, so ubiquitous, that we forget how exceptional it was. The Jeep ranks among the most important products in the history of the auto industry, alongside the Model T Ford and the Volkswagen Beetle.

With its go-anywhere, do-anything capabilities, the Jeep helped America and the Allies to win World War II. Then, for decades after the war, the vehicle has been instrumental in helping a series of auto makers to survive. First Willys-Overland, then Kaiser Motors, then American Motors, then Chrysler, and now today Fiat Chrysler Automobiles—all have made the powerful Jeep brand a centerpiece of their product strategies. Meanwhile, the Jeep helped to define and shape a whole new category of consumer vehicle: the SUV.

We don’t know where on the internet and social media, where it has bounced around for a few years, this  little video tribute to the Jeep originated, but it’s pretty neat. We can see it was created by recycling footage mainly from vintage Willys-Overland films, including Autobiography of a Jeep (which we featured a few months ago; view it here). We swapped out the familiar ’70s pop song that served as its sound track (due to obvious copyright issues) and present the video for you here. Here’s a fun and fitting tribute to the Universal Jeep.