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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 .
Here’s another round of photos from Charles:
Strange collection of toy-cars piled as if in a junkyard. I’d guess that the jeep bearing out in the middle is a Hamilton of some type.
1956 working on power lines (in Belgium?).
Operation Husky in Sicily, 1943
6th airlanding brigade – Normandy, France
Issue, Germany, 1945.
Neat photo. Current bid is $.99. Looks like it has fishing pole holders on the front.
View all the information on ebay
“Pleased to offer an original gelatin silver glossy photograph circa 1950. Photograph measures approximately 5 x 4 inches and has wear consistent with age. Content is excellent. I am always happy to combine shipping on multiple ephemera auctions won. All Photos Are 100% Original Unless Otherwise Noted….”
The GPA doesn’t look customized to me. However, the photo itself looks doctored, as if the GPA wasn’t photographed at that spot.
View all the information on eBay
“1945 Press Photo Ray Bridges in a customized Jeep in Birmingham. This is an original press photo. Ray Bridges, Birmingham, Jeep loses decision Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated 9-27-1945.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
I can’t tell for sure, but that might be a Ford GP. The hood doesn’t look very tall to me. The date makes it probable.
“This is an original press photo. New River, N.C. — Jeep splashes shoreward from a marine landing barge during maneuvers of the Marines Amphibious Force. Sturdy little car tows a light field piece.Photo measures 8.75 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 11-25-1941.”
That Landing Craft Retriever looks like a real-life transformer!
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“1957 Press Photo Fort Story, Virginia-An Army landing craft retriever and Jeep. This is an original press photo. Fort Story, Virginia-The Army’s conventional “jeep” squeezes over to the side of the road to make room for a new landing craft retriever. Weighing 101 tons, the LCR is 75 feet long, 38 feet wide and 23 feet high. It is used by the Army to repair over-turned or beached landing craft. It can drive over the craft and lift it for re-floating or repair, much like vehicles utilized in lumber yards. (US Army-ships-boats & crafts) Photo measures 9 x 7.25 inches. Photo is dated 05-07-1957.”
I had to look up Hollandia. The Battle of Hollandia was part of Operation Reckless.
View all the information on eBay.
“1944 Press Photo US Army jeep & troops leave landing boat, invasion of Hollandia. This is an original press photo. We invade Hollandia. Troops and an army jeep leave a landing boat during the invasion of Hollandia by the amphibious forces.Photo measures 9 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 04-26-1944.”
Pfc. William Wilson isn’t in Arkansas any more! Boy that looks miserable.
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“1950 Press Photo Pfc. William Wilson scoops snow from his jeep in North Korea. This is an original press photo. Pfc. William Wilson, Little Rock, Arkansas, a jeep driver in the 10th Corps, starts the long, hard task of scooping the snow from his jeep by hand. Snow and bitter cold have hampered UN operations in Korea almost as much as the enemy. Photo measures 6.25 x 9.25 inches. Photo is dated 12-08-1950.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
Nice USCG-related photo.
“1943 Press Photo Patrol Jeep Checks Out With Guard Before Leaving Pigeon Key, FL. This is an original press photo. To the U.S. Coast Guard falls the task of guarding Florida’s overseas highway, which links Key West, site of a naval operating base, with the mainland. at Pigeon Key, midway on the 7-mile bridge, is a Coast Guard patrol base. Here a jeep on patrol checks out with the guard before leaving the base. Photo measures 10 x 8.5 inches. Photo is dated 3-16-1943.”
I ran across these photos today posted by a guy who grew up in the Skyway Cliffhangers Jeep Club, a club based in my hometown of Renton. The photos below highlight the kinds of paint jobs I remember back in the 1970s. As a kid, part of the fun of going to playdays and jeep conventions was to see all the different paint schemes (colors, designs, and accents), tires choices, cage architecture, engine experimentations, and other modifications. You can see lots of old PNW Jeeping photos here:
http://rockdnlockd.forumotion.com/t644-kick-n-it-old-school
This photo really shows off the WILLYS stamp.
View all the information of eBay
“1942 Press Photo A wire-laying jeep rolls out lines for telephone communication. This is an original press photo. In the field, the wire-laying jeep speedily rolls out the vital lines for telephone communication. U.S. Army land vehicles Photo measures 5.25 x 5inches. Photo is dated 05-30-1942.”
Gayland shared Officer Ryan’s Facebook post of Jeeps in the Philadelphia police force. They were shared in the DJ – Postal Jeep Group.
I can’t remember where I found these photos of an unusual house-like top on a MB/GPW.
UPDATE II: Here are pics of the Ford Pygmy and Ford Budd to use for comparison with the jeep in the movie. To me it looks like the film makers built a custom vehicle based on the Ford Budd, which Maury points out, in the comments section below, was in Hollywood at the time.
FORD BUDD:
FORD PYGMY:
Note the differences between the two above and the “jeep” below: Angle of the steering wheel, position of the front fenders vis-a-vis the hood, length of cowl at the step, the rolled edges of the body (same as Budd, Pygmy didn’t have them), short rear handle of the Pygmy (Budd had long hand), incorrect hubs .. I wonder if that is a Bantam chassis?
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ORIGINAL POST … these photos were sold on eBay: Thanks to Maury for spotting these pics from the Jeep Herders movie. There are a couple Ford GPs pictured. I’m not sure what’s going on with the side of the Ford GP. Looks like it is similar to the original Pygmy GP.
“Originally by Planet Productions, 1946, re-released by Astor Pictures in 1949. Story is returning vets use Jeeps to herd cattle.”
Eight inches of rain in twenty-four hours sounds miserable!
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“This is an original press photo. Guadalcanal has two seasons, the rainy, between November and May and the wet. The only difference is that during the wet season there are no floods or as the natives put in when the rainy season comes “White men leaves the island, and the native die.
American Marine soldiers and sailors couldn’t leave the island and when the rainy season reached peak recently they were amazed at the vast quantities of water that poured continuously from the clouds. As much as eight inches of rain fall in 24 hours and river rose as high as seven feet above normal in two hours, Frantically everything was under water and most transportation was by boat. Flood Bridged – Two jeeps make their perilous way across a temporary bridge that was constructed over a low spot on Guadalcanal to prevent disruption of traffic. The swirling waters undermined this bridge before it was even completed but the floods caused such a major problems to transportation that anything above water was considered safe.
Photo measures 8.25 x 10.25 inches. Photo is dated 04-30-1944.”
Not a great photo of the jeep.
View all the information on eBay
“1943 Press Photo Jeep & US Servicemen Walking in El Guettar Valley Tunisia WWII”
Mario shared this on Facebook.
This is the latest “floating jeep” training photo that’s I’ve seen. Anyone know how long troops floating jeeps as part of their training?
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“1950 Press Photo Troops haul floating jeep from water in training at Camp McCoy.
This is an original press photo. Troops of the pioneer and ammunition platoon of the 14th regimental combat team haul a floating jeep from the water in a demonstration of “flotation expedients” for civilian competent organizations training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. Parts of the team, a regular army unit on detached service from Camp Carson, Colorado, conduct demonstrations in all phases of infantry training for national guard, ROTC and ORC units at summer encampments. Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated 7-21-1950.”
Brandon spotted a Willys Wagon in a photo hanging on the wall of a Bowling Green, Kentucky, Steak N’ Shake.
Packrat shared this neat photo of a wagon at an In & Out Burger. I didn’t know In & Out featured Kentucky Fried Chicken (maybe for a short time .. I can’t find any history about that).
UPDATE III: Another version of this press photo is on eBay.
View all the information on eBay
“1945 Press Photo First Civilian Jeep Tourer Sarah Elizabeth Rodger, New York
This is an original press photo. Sarah Elizabeth Rodger makes local history as she starts tour of the city in first civilian jeep on the streets of New York. A writer, who in private life is the wife of Dr. L. Patrick Moore, has always wanted “to do a new thing first” and, this she did, by jeepers! Photo measures 9 x 7 inches. Photo is dated 09-03-1945.”
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(05/20/2016) UPDATE II: Another version of this press photo is available on eBay.
“1945 Press Photo New York Sara Roger drives civilian jeep NYC -”
UPDATE: This is really interesting. Here’s a photo op from the same day, but from slightly different angles. I’m wondering if it is the work of two separate photographers.
Note that I darkened the caption page, as it was hard to read in its existing lighter format.
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eBay pics from 2014.
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From 2013 on eBay … the caption looks suspiciously identical to the top image’s caption, but perhaps photoshopped a little?
“1943- Loaded with six soldiers, jeep sits inside CG-4 glider during training at the Victorville Army Flying School in California.”
UPDATE II (July 20, 2018) : Keith provided portions of a document that show the agreement between Karl Probst / R.N. Harger and KAISER.
UPDATE (July 1, 2018) : Barry found a set of specs that could be a match to this prototype. Also, Keith noted that there were 6 different designs from the Probst-Harger” collaboration.
Original Post June 26th: Barry spotted this photo on the Kaiser Permanente history site. The jeep is listed as a 1943 Model 1160 “Kaiser Lightweight Jeep”. I’m not sure if this was supposed to be an Airborne prototype or just a concept lightweight jeep. Henry J. Kaiser is on the right. I think that’s Karl Probst on the far left; Rollin N. Harger might be seated in the middle.
The bottom is a more familiar photo. I can’t remember if I’ve seen the top one.
View all the information on eBay
“1940- Ford Pygmy during testing at Camp Holabird. The Ford Pygmy is the pilot vehicle submitted by Ford Motor Company in response to the U.S. Army’s requirement for a “light reconnaissance and command car” during the military buildup prior to World War II. It is the only known survivor of the original pilot vehicles built by Bantam, Willys, and Ford and tested by the Army. Photo measures approx. 6 3/4″ x 8 3/4″ ”
Neat photo.
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“1944 Press Photo Lt. Gen. Walter Kredger Gets In Jeep With Lt. Gen. Eichelberger. This is an original press photo. Lt. Gen. Walter Kredger, commander of the 8th Army, gets in his jeep while Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger, who commanded the American forces furing the Papuan campaign, scrambles for a back seat. The two officers were making a tour of an advanced base in the Southwest Pacific after Lt. Gen. Kredger made the presentation of the “Streamer” award to the headquarters I Corps of the 6th Army, which was cited for its outstanding performance in repulsing the enemy on Papua, July 23rd, 1942, to January 23rd, 1943. Photo measures 7.25 x 9 inches. Photo is dated 5-3-1944.”
This photo appeared in what I think was a 1979 issue of Jeep News (I couldn’t find an exact date). It’s a funky setup!
