It's not that difficult to confuse the two. Besides the similar names,
both were quarter-ton, four-wheel-drive replacements for the Jeep. The
timelines for the two overlap, and both feature independent front and
rear suspensions. But the differences between the two are substantial.
So let's start with the Mighty Mite, above. Engineer Benjamin F. Gregory, to pursue his concept of an ultra-light
jeep, formed the Mid-America Research Corporation (MARCO) to design and
build the MM100, recruiting four of the engineers who worked on the
original Bantam BRC jeep. When MARCO debuted the MM100 in 1950, it used
an aluminum body, a 52hp 91.5-cu.in. Porsche flat-four and sat on a
64-1/2-inch wheelbase (the Willys MB rode a 90-inch wheelbase).
The M151 Mutt, on the other hand, was built to replace the M38 entirely
and to introduce new vehicular technologies, such as unibody
construction and coil-sprung independent suspension. Ford actually
began designing the Military Utility Tactical Truck in 1951, inspired
by the DKW Munga, a jeep-like vehicle that used a three-cylinder
two-stroke engine.
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