Originally appearing in the Christian Science Monitor, this opinion piece was published in the Milford News, a newspaper out of Utah, on August 31, 1944. I think this piece is right on in terms of honestly evaluating consumer desires vs. the new jeep, hence part of the struggle Willys-Overland encountered at the turn of 1950.
4 Comments on “1944 Opinion Piece: A Future For The Jeep?”
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Wow. They pretty much nailed that. Its a hugely successful now but look how little it actually resembles the originals! What a long strange trip its been. ( I still love the look and function of the old flattys though !!)
“….will hardly fit it for anything but the…..most rugged onwers”
THIS is where the now infamous ‘Jeep Wave’ started. Owners waved at each other because they knew they had something in common with the other guy. Namely rugged enough to endure a love affair with a Jeep.
The wave has lived on, but the rugged owners? Few are left. You can spot them because they are usually driving a Willys CJ!
I usually blame my flat ‘backside’ on all the High School ‘bleacher-hours’ watching my kids compete…The truth is more likely the hundreds of Jeepin’ hours we spent in our ’42 GPW…
I’ve always had the good fortune of jeeping in jeeps with comfortable seats. Seems that was a good idea —
According to Medical news Today: “During World War II, more than 80,000 American soldiers were hospitalized with the condition (A pilonidal cyst caused by repeated local injury). This led to it being known as “Jeep rider’s disease.”” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317996.php#Causes-and-diagnosis