emailNeed to contact me and don't have my email? Click on email button.
Welcome to eWillys.com, a website for vintage jeep enthusiasts. I update this website nearly every day with jeep deals, jeep history, interesting reader projects, jeep related info, and more.
These quick searches can help you find things on eBay. People list in the wrong categories all the time, so don't be surprised to see brochures in the parts area for example.
The links to posts below show jeeps grouped by models, condition, and other ways. Some of these jeeps are for sale and others have been sold. If you are unsure whether a vehicle is still for sale or not, email me at d [at] ewillys.com for more info.
There are plenty of interesting, unusual, historic and surprising stories related to Jeeps and their owners. In addition, some of these features have nothing to do with jeeps. This link will display all featured stories starting from the latest.
Looking for parts and not sure where to go? There are a variety of large and small new and used parts sellers both online and offline.
Importantly, the allure of buying a project jeep can be romantic. The reality of restoring a jeep can be quite different, expensive and overwhelming without the right tools and resources. So, tread carefully when purchasing a "project". If you have any concerns about buying a vintage jeep, or run across a scam, feel free to contact me for help, comments or concerns .
I spotted this brief note about the four-wheel-steer Bantam BRC-40 on page 167 of the May 1946 issue of Popular Mechanics. Why it appeared five years after it was built seems a little strange. I can’t imagine the army keeping this model top secret for any reason. Maybe they needed some filler for the issue?
Here is a link to the Google page that shows the whole article
It is an interesting idea when you first hear it but then you think about it………………….
Weird that the people in the picture appear to be civillians. Wonder if it is just someone who bought one of the prototyupes as surplus?
I owned a Bantam 4 wheel steer. Fixed it, drove it, looked at it and sold it.
Like Steve said it really was not such a good idea. How tight of a turn do you need to make. Above 25 mph it was hairy.
Mixed in with other military jeeps, the first indication you had it was a 4 wheel steer was in the first bend and by then it was too late.
Yeah it was rare and I put a down payment on my first house with the money.
People give me grief I left it go. It was a Banatm it was rare.
Oh well…….
you can’t live in a bantam nearly as comfortably as you can in a house. i mean…..where would you shower?
I don’t think this was one of the factory 4 steers. It sounds to me like they converted a standard surplus BRC themselves post war.
i have a 2003 4×4 4 wheel steering GMC Denali and i love it. i plan to keep it
Look closely at the drawing in the article, it can’t work like that, if you follow that drawing the wheels of the rear and front axle turn in the same direction….I suspect the writer never saw the actual thing himself, or the artist who drew the illustration never really understood the principle.
Five years after the start of WWII the soldiers returned home. People could afford to buy and had time to read magazines. Most likely, Popular Mechanics Magazine wasn’t published during the war. (Please correct me if I’m wrong.) No one was making new cars, and you couldn’t even buy tires. WWII was definitely a war where Americans really felt the pinch at home and wanted to win the war, unlike today. Most people today are apathetic about our troops overseas (regardless if we think we should be there. I occasionally help a friend who continuously sends care packages to our soldiers. She is one reason I work hard at not being apathetic.)
So, the war was still a fresh topic in 1946, and people were buying magazines trying to get back into civilian life. When I put myself in the mood of the times immediately following WWII, this article makes sense when reading about a “new” idea applied to the familiar Jeep.
**Steve E.**