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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.
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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 .
The Truck ad is from the September 8, 1955, issue of the Heppner Gazette-Times, while the wagon is from the October 27, 1955, issue. I guess the 1955 fall advertising theme was “All-Purpose”.
The September 24, 1942, issue of the Nyssa Gate City Journal out of Nyssa, Oregon, published this interesting illustration.
I’m still looking for the 1001 list. You can see the original ad at this link.
UPDATE: Here’s an original press photo used in the article at the bottom of the post.
“1942 Press Photo U.S. Coast Guardsmen in Armed Jeeps at East Coast Port. This is an original press photo. Anti-saboteur patrol “Vital war shipping must be protected on the docks as well as on the high seas,” was an official order by Vice-Admiral Russell R. Wesche, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, who equipped Coast Guardsmen with armed jeeps to protect valuable war supplies from any attempts at enemy sabotage. These armed Coast Guardsmen are shown getting their orders at an East Coast port before they start their patrol in the blitz buggies. Photo measures 9 x 7.25 inches. Photo is dated 10-20-1942.”
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(From a March 20, 2015 post) These Coast Guard men are protecting the ships and shipyards from saboteurs. The photo was published in the October, 22, 1942 issue of the Spokesman-Review.
According to the February 1955 Kaiser Willys News, Willys Motors was ‘stealing’ auto shows across the country. Shouldn’t someone have been arrested for theft? And, where does someone hide an autoshow??
UPDATE II: An eWillys reader named Mike informed me that the state of Wisconsin bought some property from his family for wetlands. The wetlands is named the Gordon MacQuarrie Memorial WetLands, near Superior, Wisconsin. Small world!
Update: This is the first press photo I’ve run across related to the circumvention of Lake Superior in 1946.
“1946 Press Photo Jeep Traveling Near Western End of the Nipigon River in Canada. This is an original press photo. The “circumnavigation” of Lake Superior in a jeep station wagon was accomplished by those intrepid explorers of The Milwaukee Journal. Gordon MacQuarrie, outdoor editor, and James N. Meyer, a photographer. The 2,459-mile trip was made in a clockwise direction and took two weeks. They found this vast Canadian wilderness area easily accessible to Wisconsin sportsmen. Its edge can be reached in a day of hard driving, almost overnight by train and in a few hours by plane. Family tours are not recommended at this time, however, because accommodations on the far northern leg are few and far between. The picture above catches the spirit of the trip as the jeep heads east along the Nipigon River on the north shore. (near western end of branch of Nipigon River in Canada). (Canada – Series – 1946). Photo measures 8.5 x 10.25 inches. Photo is dated –1946.”
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Original Post from 11/24/15:
In 1946 reporter Gordon MarQuarrie and photojournalist drove around Lake Superior in a new Jeep station wagon. They provided reports on September 17th and September 18th, 1946.
Just a few updates today. Regular updates resume Sunday morning.
This page was published in the January 1955 issue of Kaiser Willys Dealer News.
This article appeared in the February 1955 issue of Kaiser Willys News.
This October 1954 photo and caption from Kaiser Willys News highlights Chuck Yeager’s recent purchase of a Willys Wagon (or maybe he was given it).
This October 1954 photo and caption from Kaiser Willys News underscores how confident Willys Motors was about the coming year and their new CJ-5 model. About this time there was an explosion of new brochures and mailers, so Willys Motors did what it could to generate excitement about the commercial and utility market.
UPDATE: The starting price on this is $8.95. That’s a good price! This issue includes an article on the jeepcade with 284 entries.
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UPDATE: The starting price on this is $8.95. That’s a good price! This issue includes articles on Colorado jeeping adventures and some great photos from the world of Jeep.
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This June 2, 1942, photo published in Australia of a jeep gliding on a cable has been shown elsewhere, but I like the caption. The paper calls it a Beep, a Blitz Buggy, and the diminutive of the jeep (meaning it isn’t the jeep), which was also called a command car. Basically, as of that time, the name was still being figured out.
A 1952 article in the Toledo Blade shared the news that King Farouk had purchased 12 specially-built jeeps with red leather seats, white metal wheels, and other unique features.
Unfortunately, I cannot locate any photos for these 12 jeeps. I was able to find find this photo that shows Faourk riding in what appears to be a 1946ish CJ-2A.
From Wikipedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ModernEgypt,_Farouk_I_in_Military_Uniform,_DHP13655-10-17_01.jpg
Farouk collected a wide variety of cars, according to prewarcar.com. The lineup shown below are just a few of his cars and include a WWII jeep.
Just a carguy has a few pics of Farouk’s cars, too: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-farouk-car-collection.html
UPDATE: Below is a press photo related to the article at the bottom.
“1944 Press Photo Y-Force Operations Staff carrying parts of an disassembled jeep
This is an original press photo. Y-Force Operation Staff, China. American lend-lease jeep, disassembled on one side of a Chinese mountain, are brought over mountain trails to the Burma Road for assembly. Standing beside the road is Capt. Lui An, Chinese Foreign Affairs Bureau, attached to one of the units of the American Y-Force Operations Staff as an interpreter. Major Shing Chin of the 11th Army Group, Chinese Expeditionary Force, walks behind jeep body. The jeep on being reassembled after its parts had been carried on the backs of soldier to the point of assembly on the Burma Road, was delivered to Lieut. Gen. Soong Hei-Lien, Commanding General of the Chinese 11th Army Group, to be used in testing roads over which captured Japanese vehicles were to be driven. Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated 11-12-1944.”
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Related Article published in 2011:
I ran across this article online here.
Chinese Take the Bull (Jeep) By The Horns
Continue reading
UPDATE: The world can be such an amazing place sometimes. Last night we got to spend time with Hugo Vidal and his son Fernando. Hugo’s memories of his 1955 trip are very clear, enough so that he’s writing a book about the adventure. His book begins with Operation Pineapple and will end with Alaska Or Rust.
Hugo was enjoying looking through the Willys News periodicals from the mid 1950s. He recognized some of people in them.
Originally posted June 23, 2015: The CJ-3B page does a good job covering the history of Operation Pineapple, a 1955 trip by three Sao Paulo Boy Scouts: Hugo Vidal, Charles Downey, and Jan Stekly. You can read everything about it here: http://cj3b.info/Finds/FindsPineapple.html. The Allpar site has additional information and a later photo of Hugo: http://www.allpar.com/racing/road-rally/operation-pineapple.html
Adding to those links, I have found a couple additional photos and more information about the trip. The first photo was published in the September 1955 issue of Willys News:
Note the missing tire on the spare rim. Hugo says they went through eleven tires. During their trip they had no mechanical issues.
California’s Lodi News-Sentinel published a story about the last leg of their trip on January 18, 1956.
This article in a 1943 issue of the Toledo Blade is an interesting profile of Military Chaplain Leland Larson who followed the US Armed Forces from North Africa to Italy. At some point, he got hurt and was awarded a Purple Heart. After the war he moved to Phoenix and became Pastor for the Holy Trinity church in Tucson, Arizona (from 1966 newspaper article). He moved on to at least one other church. He passed away in Green Valley, AZ, in 1990.
This Desert News Magazine August 14, 1949, article titled “Knights of the Jeep” highlights the Bountiful Jeep Posse. Unfortunately, I could only find a scanned version with readable text in black and white. The scanned photos are poor. I did manage to locate a couple small colored photos of the article, so I’ve cobbled all the information together.
Here’s the link to the original article in Google News
This June 14, 1945 photo shares the news that some kids in Florida received toy jeeps in exchange for selling the most war bonds.
A Happy Thanksgiving Holiday of everyone out there. I shall be thankful for jeeps today! Apparently, one Major E.P. Hogan was also thankful for these unique vehicles, so much so that he wrote an article for the Sep/Oct 1944 issue of Army Ordnance called The Jeep In Action: Some Adventures of the Army’s Ubiquitous Vehicle. It’s a pretty interesting read. i’ve included it in its entirety for your holiday pleasure. Click on the images to more easily read the article.
Thanks to Keith for the tip about Old Faithful.
According to this page, the Associated Press captured this photo of “Old Faithful” on the island of Bougainville in 1944.
Recently, Jeep shot a commercial highlighting a little known fact that a jeep named “Old Faithful” was awarded an honorable Purple Heart for its service in Guadalcanal and Bougainville during WWII (not to be confused with a jeep that was named “Purple Heart“). The jeep was later put on display at the Marine Corps Museum, but, according to an article in Adweek, it disappeared and its whereabouts remain unknown.
The September/October 1944 Army Ordinance reported on Old Faithful:
Old Faithful was a Willys built jeep that served four Marine generals through the Guadalcanal campaign and the Bougainville invasion. Old Faithful was officially awarded the Purple Heart for “wounds”–two shrapnel holes in its windshield received during the Jap battleship shelling of Guadalcanal on October 13, 1942.
Old Faithful, the first American vehicle ever to be so decorated, was retired from active service by official Marine Corps order on December 22, 1943. Faithful to the last, this jeep’s motor, which has never been overhauled, purrs as smoothly today as it did on the historic day of August 7, 1942, when it first rolled onto Guadalcanal’s famous Lunga Beach. During its duty in the Pacific area,
Old Faithful served as official car for many distinguished leaders, including the late Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, Adms. Chester Nimitz and William F. Halsey, Vice Adms. A.W. Fitch, and J.S. McCain, Marine Corps Commandant Lieut. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, his successor Lieut, Gen A.A. Vandegrift, and many others. In 1944, Old Faithful, after a long journey, arrived in heaven and now reposes in the Marine Corps Museum at the Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Va.
Also in 1944, the Marine Corps Chevron included this photo and article on “Old Faithful”:
WAR RELIC’ “Old Faithful,” retired after 18 monthsservice in the South Pacific as a command oar, was displayed in San Diego’s War Bond drive. It is being inspected by Majs. Granville Mitchell (left) and Douglas J. Preacher.
Battle-Worn Jeep Back In U. S. On Bond Tour
“Old Faithful,” first Marine jeep to be landed on Guadalcanal and among the first on Bougainville, was exhibited at the Plaza War Bond center in downtown San Diego this week in connection with the Filipino Day program.
The jeep was retired on Bougainville recently after having traveled more than 11,000 miles of jungle terrain as a command car. During its 18 months’ service “Old Faithful” served four Marine generals as well as carrying every ranking Marine officer and visiting official on the two battle-torn islands.
Previously, the jeep had been awarded a “Purple Heart” for holes in its windshield, received when a Jap battleship shelled Guadalcanal. It is on its way toward becoming a museum piece at the Marine Corps Museum, Quantico.
UPDATE: Was on eBay.
For some reason the Willys Export company advertised the Cargo & Personnel Carrier in a German Magazine. Seller lists this as a 1950 magazine. Given the early grille, this may well be the case. This is really an interesting piece.
“Willys Overland Export Co. Universal Jeep + Dorndorf – Orig. Anzeigen von 1950. Original Seite aus einem alten Magazine.”
This edition of the Toledo Blade celebrated the 50th anniversary of Willys Overland. It includes some jeep photos. It isn’t cheap.
“Rare find, this issue was devoted to the Willys Overland Co, celebrating 50 years of business. The entire paper has celebratory ads to the Willys Co. Includes history of the co, as well as advertisements for Jeep and Willys cars. Has both sections, 48 pages. Really nice shape for a newspaper this old.”
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This May 10, 1943, article from The Telegraph shares the news that New Hampshire kids raised enough money through stamp and bond sales to purchase 92 jeeps for the US Forces.
This ad was featured in the May 27, 1947, issue of the Ottawa Citizen.
A few months later, a similar ad appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, this time featuring the wagon:
