for the public at the December 1956 National Automobile Show in New York City. The FC-150 went on sale at dealer showrooms on December 12, 1956. The initial response to the four-wheel drive FC Jeeps was favorable. Their best sales year came in 1957, when 9,738 trucks were sold. After the introduction of the FC-170 in 1957, FC-150 sales dropped to 1,546 units in 1959, before rebounding to 4,925 in 1960. Brooks Stevens made a rendering around 1960 for a possible facelift for the FC-series. The FC models did not become the big sellers that Willys had hoped. Total production in nine years was just over 30,000 units. The FC line was discontinued in 1964. Military variants Four dedicated military variants of the FC-170 were manufactured for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, under a 1964 contract. Production is estimated to have been between 400 and 700 units, mostly the M677 four-door pickups. A 1963 analysis done by Jeep, concluded that the militarized FC-170s compared favorably to the aging Dodge M37, at least for behind the front-line service. The XM-676 prototype had a 50% larger cargo cube, could carry 12 troops in the back instead of eight in the M-37, had a 700-pound greater load rating, and yielded more than twice the mileage, but Jeep was likely more focused on landing the contract for the M715 trucks that replaced the M-37. The official operator's and service manuals were written and published by Kaiser-Jeep – not by the army. The general government description of the vehicles was 'Jeep' Truck, Diesel engine, 7000-pound GVW, 4x4, with the variants named: M676 Truck, Cargo Pickup — a modified version of the commercial FC-170 pickup M677 Truck, Cargo Pickup w/4 Dr. Cab — a four-door crew-cab pickup with a canopy over the bed M678 Truck, Carry All — a van-body FC-170 with windows, and three cabin doors, and M679 Truck, Ambulance — a van-body FC-170 with two cabin doors and no further side windows, fitted as an ambulance There were notable mechanical differences with the civilian market vehicles. First of all, the Marine Corps variants of the FC-170s were powered by a different engine – a Cerlist three-cylinder two-stroke diesel. The engine was mated with a three-speed T-90A transmission and a model 18 transfer case. Other changes included a reinforced frame, 24-volt electrical system, as well as limited-slip Spicer 44 front and Spicer 53 rear