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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 .
Mario posted on Facebook this great ad for American Central Manufacturing.
Certainly it isn’t the first jeep to be stuck in New Guinea! This photo included a February 25, 1944, article from the Healdsburg Tribune that updated on New Guinea operations.
UPDATE: Still available.
(05/20/2019) This jeep-train carried visitors through Fairchild Gardens.
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“Postcard Florida CJ-5 Rambler Jeep Fairchild Tropical Garden”
This April 20, 1962, article in the La Habra Star highlighted Sam Winner, Frances Hughes, and Cruz Gomez, who had recently completed the two-day, 300 mile Hemet Run and camp-out. The planned to followed that up with the Indio Jeep Run in May.
Good photo of a stripped(?) jeep maneuvering a Hellcat aboard an aircraft carrier.
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“1943 Press Photo Jeep toying US Navy Hellcat aboard an aircraft carrier. This is an original press photo. Autos – Jeeps – Somewhere off Wake Island – They say there’s nothing new under the sun, but here’s a picture of a Jeep, familiar to all as one of the most useful of the many instruments used in this war to date, at a novel task – that of jockeying a “Hellcat” aboard a carrier. This was one of the “flat tops” used to pummel the Japanese on Wake Island, October 5-6. Note two other similar ships in the distance Photo measures 8.5 x 6.5 inches. Photo is dated 10-15-1943.”
I wonder if all the Yellow Fleet rental jeeps were painted light yellow like this one? I’m guessing the color of the photo might be off a little, which gives the CJ-6 a bit of a green tint. This was taken by Bob Petley.
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“Colorado Jeep Trail Telluride Ouray CO Tomboy Road Jeep Rentals Advertising Black Bear Jeep Road Vintage Postcard”
This image was taken by Bob Petley also, perhaps on the same trip as the image above.
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This trolley used to be towed by a CJ-7 along Rehoboth Beach, North Shores, and Dewey Beach in Delaware.
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Maury and I thought this jeep bank was interesting. It is a Willys-Motors-parts-department-themed wagon that is listed as a ‘1953’. It was sold on eBay and now documented at WorthPoint. Anyone seen others of these?
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/liberty-classics-1953-jeep-willys-491185253
TJ shared this wonderful illustration shared by the French company of Jeepstock.
Maury suggested we organize and go through the various Willys-Overland and Willys Motors logos, badges and slogans seen in brochures and ads during the years between 1941-1963. I thought that a good idea as well, so here’s what we found for the pre-Kaiser period between 1941-1953.
Before we begin, when is a slogan ‘a slogan’ and when not? It is totally arbitrary on our part, but we think we’ve covered quite a few (and welcome other suggestions). Much of Part I is a synopsis of advertising-related posts published over the last year. We hope to publish part II in the next few days.
1941-1945: (A deeper dive into the ads of this time period can be found here).
As a 1951 advertising review noted, the challenge facing Willys-Overland, once winning the jeep contract, was to convince consumers that the jeep was a Willys product (even though, as Ford argued, it was a joint project). To this end. Willys-Overland’s very first ad in December of 1941 emphasized WILLYS.
See the full ad here: http://www.ewillys.com/wp-content/uploads2/2007/04/1941-12-13-sat-evening-post-jeep-in-civvies-650px-pg117.jpg
Willys-Overland continued this theme with their famous war-time color ads, a list of which you can view here (1942-1946). In the Hell Bent ad, the first of the war-time ads, Willys-Overland continued to emphasize WILLYS. The company also added “JEEPS” as a third category of vehicles for the first time.
From the June 27, 1942, ad in the Saturday Evening Post.
In 1943, while emphasizing WILLYS, the company introduced a new badge, “The Sun Never Sets on the Fighting Jeep”
This ad, AVENGING JEEPS BLAST JAPS FROM CHINESE VILLAGE, was published in the February 06, 1943, issue of the Saturday Evening Post, page 85.
The “Fighting Jeep” phrase lasted through May of 1943. Then, was left off of a few ads, before returning on July of 1943 with the replacement of Fighting with Mighty: THE SUN NEVER SETS ON THE MIGHTY JEEP.
This ad, HEROIC OFFICERS DARE DEATH FOR MEN, was published in the July 17, 1943, issue of the Saturday Evening Post, page 97.
Willys-Overland continued to emphasize WILLYS until February of 1944, when the company abruptly switched the emphasis to JEEPS.
Michael shared this neat post(?) card.
Thanks to a couple readers who sent me some surprise presents! Both were a big surprise and much appreciated.
This Scrambler Christmas ornament arrived in the mail on Monday, sent by Blaine . We only have two ornaments on the tree this year and this Scrambler is one of them (we are having a very low-key Christmas this year).
Chris sent me these five post cards and, amazingly, I don’t have any of them! I’ll do some better scans of them in the near future.
This Carter Products Ad appeared in the January 19, 1952, issue of the Saturday Evening Post. It’s an interesting throwback ad to the WWII concept of the jeep (arguably, it’s a Ford GPish illustration).
Maury spotted this Jeep Radio Ad record on Worthpoint. It turns out that the CJ-3B page has published some of the recordings from the record. So, on this Christmas morning, you can test out the sound of your new computer/tablet/phone/Internet-of-thing.
1. This 1963 magazine ad for the new ‘Jeep’ Wagoneer prominently claimed the wagon had “DRIVEPOWER”, a slogan for the Wagoneer’s new and improved and exclusive 4-Wheel Drive system. I looked to see if Kaiser Jeep attempted to trademark the term, but there’s no evidence of that at the US Patent and Trademark site. So, the use of the drivepower concept seems to have been brief.
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2. This other 1963 Ad also uses the term “DRIVEPOWER”, but in a smaller font.
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3. This early 1964 Wagoneer Ad defines “DRIVEPOWER” as “Wagoneer station wagon’s new, improved and exclusive 4-wheel drive system” (also published in Popular Science).
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4. This 1963 or early 1964 ad promoted a variety of ideas, include “DRIVEPOWER”. The ad also promoted ABC’s “The Greatest Show on Earth”, which was sponsored, at least in part, by Kaiser Jeep (see Jeep rare brochure promoting that show here).
Since the last ad in the post above promoted “The Greatest Show on Earth”, I figured it would be neat to see some video footage of an ad from that show. Here is one:
Spotted by Maury, and according to the blurb from this page, this brochure/booklet was apparently released to some Willys-Overland employees following the purchase of Willys-Overland Motors by Kaiser-Jeep in 1953. I could only find a pic of the cover.
These kids earned their way to a jeep ride. as described in the January 1, 1943, article in the Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar (what a name!?!).
According to the Caption: “Up the steps of the 24th Street school, Los Angeles, goes an army Jeep loaded with thrilled children. The Jeep was their present to Uncle Sam, a present bought with war stamps from their savings. At the wheel Is Sergt. Virgil Yewell, Stamp sales totaled $11,190.35—a lot of nickels and dimes —and they’re buying more.”
This photo was shared by the Coronado Eagle and Journal on August 27,1959. It shows Lee Tompkins in the driver’s seat demonstrating how the jeep is used by lifeguards.
Maury shared this vehicle, named the Gaucho after a South American Tribe. It was jointly developed by Argentina and Brazil, however the Gaucho is only used by the Argentinians at the point.
http://www.military-today.com/trucks/gaucho.htm
UPDATE: Joshua notes this is a Ford GP.
The photo was published in the June 12, 1941, issue of the Madera Tribune.
“U. S. Army’s celebrated little “jeep” or “blitz buggy* technique, as shown here. Camouflage removed to into a hole under camouflage to provide new fightin ” which seems to go everywhere these days, now goes take picture, during maneuvers at California’s Ft. Ord. Captain William A. Dodds designed mount for .50-caliber gun.”
This story reported on May 29, 1944, in the Madera Tribune shares the story of how some soldiers played Santa using a jeep.
Craig spotted this article in Autoweek about the descendent of the Kaiser M-715, the Kia KM450. It’s still been built, albeit with an updated power train. Still, comparing the pics, it’s amazing they still look as close as they do.
PIc of M-715 with similar stake bed setup:
This March 27, 1943, photo and article in the San Pedro News Pilot describe a big event at a Cabrillo Avenue School in San Pedro. Enough money was raised to warrant jeep rides at the school. I can imagine that must have left some memories with those kids!
