Posted at bangshift (though I couldn’t find this original link), referenced by Jalopnik, linked to by Kaiser Willys, and forwarded by Colin, here is a great video of a coast guard “super jeep” in action.
NEWS ARTICLES:
1) From the May 06, 1944, Perth Mirror in Australia:
TRAVELS 60 MPH OVER SANDY BEACHES
At a Coastguard Station on the Atlantic Coast, U.S. Coast Guards men recently demonstrated a new super-jeep, carrying 10 men and traveling up to 60 miles an hour over sand. Officials said the super-jeep was developed to meet special problems of Coast Guard shore patrols. Chassis of a regulation jeep was halved and steel shafts inserted to add one yard to its wheelbace. Seats for 10 were installed and specially designed wheels employed to permit travel over any kind of beach.
2) Volume 70 of the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings discusses the results of the Coast Guard Jeep. Unfortunately I don’t have access to the whole document. I do have this:
As a basis for comparison, the regular Army jeep tried to follow the super-jeep over the same course, but foundered in the deep sand. The super-jeep was developed in the Coast Guard transportation office to meet the special demand that branch of services has for a vehicle capable of moving through sand . . .
LINKS:
http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=177213 (three good photos of an original coast guard jeep)