The Jeep CJ models are both a series and a range of small, open-bodied off-road vehicles and compact pickup trucks, built and sold by several successive incarnations of the Jeep automobile marque from 1945 to 1986. The CJ, short for "civilian Jeep" is widely regarded as "America's workhorse" and has been described as "probably the most successful utility vehicle ever made" with over 1.5 million made during its production years.