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During the war, field kits were developed for the MB for conditions including winter and desert operation and deep-water fording.

Museum specifications for the Willys MB list an 80-inch wheelbase, approximately 2.03 metres.

The Willys MB used the four-cylinder L-head Willys L134 “Go Devil” engine; museum specifications list 60 hp at 4,000 rpm.

The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk states that 361,349 Willys MB vehicles were produced.

When demand exceeded Willys production capacity, Ford was contracted in 1941 to build the standardized counterpart; the GPW designation referred to the Willys-licensed design.

In July 1941 Willys-Overland received a contract to produce 16,000 revised MB vehicles at a unit price of $738.74.

The Willys MB was produced as a four-wheel-drive military utility vehicle from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War.

The MB was compact enough to be loaded into transport aircraft and into the large gliders used during the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

In 1940 the U.S. Army sent requirements for a quarter-ton light reconnaissance vehicle to 135 manufacturers; Bantam, Willys and Ford responded, setting the development path that led to the later MB standard.

The Willys MB was adapted for many roles, including field ambulance, tractor, cable-layer, snow plough and firefighting vehicle; with suitable wheels it could also run on railway tracks.