What was the Jeep CJ-2 prototype also known as?

The Jeep CJ-2 prototype was also known as the AgriJeep. Willys-Overland developed the CJ-2 as a civilian successor to the wartime Jeep, testing whether the compact four-wheel-drive vehicle could serve farmers and other rural users.

The CJ-2 was not a normal retail model. Roughly 40 to 45 examples were built as experimental vehicles, and they were used for testing rather than broad public sale. Their agricultural mission was reflected in features such as power-take-off equipment, an engine governor, a column-shift transmission, and revised bodywork.

The prototypes still used the Willys Go Devil engine, linking them mechanically to the military MB. They also gained a tailgate, civilian-style details, and redesigned rear wheel wells. Willys evaluated the vehicles through agricultural stations and other field programs before moving toward the production CJ-2A.

“AgriJeep” can cause confusion because the name was also associated with a trademark granted in 1944. The term describes the CJ-2 prototype family; it does not mean that every later civilian Jeep officially carried AgriJeep as its model name.