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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 .
The Desert Sun published an ad highlighting the payload and wheel base of the FC-170 on October 11, 1962.
This ad appears to have been on eBay for sale, but has since been sold. It popped up during a google search. The quality is poor as it wasn’t a smaller image, but I suspect this is a full page ad.
UPDATE: I’ve added pics of Blaine’s father’s knife set at the bottom of the post.
This brochure let recipients know that they’d get a free knife if they went for a demonstration ride at the local Ross Motors, INC, out of Rockland, Maine.
Blaine’s father received a knife set when he bought his 1959 CJ-5. It still looks in good shape sixty years later.
This 1956 ad touting ten billion kilometers of transportation service is a rare ad promoted by the Willys-Overland Export Corporation only (no mention of Willys Motors).
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“This is an original 1956 print ad for Jeep! It measures approximately 14″ x 10″ overall, has no stains or tears, comes from a dry, high-altitude, smoke-free environment, and is strictly graded”
This ad was published on December 13, 1956, in the Healdsburg Tribune by local jeep dealer Leo Frediana and Son.
The next month a similar FC-150 Ad was published in the Madera Tribune on January 11, 1957, by the Slavich Brothers:
This ad appeared in the December 15, 1955, issue of the Healdsburg Tribune out of Healdsburg, California.
Bob’s Sales & Service of Clare, Michigan, ran several different jeep ads between 1946 and 1948.
This ad was for a 1″-scale model jeep that measured 11″ when built. West-Craft also offered 1/2″-scale model jeeps for sale, too. I’ve got a few unbuilt 1940s models, but no West-Craft ones.
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This ad for a Kohler power plants includes a Sedwick County, Wichita, Kansas, Fire Department Rescue Wagon with matching boat and trailer.
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These two ads were published in the same newspaper a year apart. The 1947 ad highlights the versatility of the farm vehicle and, as an added bonus, its versatility cuts costs. The 1948 ad emphasizes the cost savings, because the jeep is versatile. It’s basically the same message, but with different emphases.
This April 4, 1947, ad from A.B. Clothier & Son in the Oxford Leader highlighted the farm versatility of the Universal Jeep.
This ad appeared in the January 1956 issue of Practical Builder, page 282. It’s a pretty niche specific ad.
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This ad appeared in the Oxford Ledger on March 10, 1948, published by A. B. Clothier & Son out of Oxford, Michigan. It later appeared in the Leelanau County times on March 25, 1948, published by Harry’s Service Center, Traverse City, Michigan.
A.B. Clothier Ad:
The following analysis of Willys-Overland advertising was included as part of the 1951 book “Case Histories of Advertising When Oversold“. One example shows how Sunkist growers used advertising in WWII to switch users from canned fruit to fresh fruit and from occasional customers to steady customers. Not much detail in any of these, but kind of interesting (to me anyway).
This ad emphasized that “only 4-Wheel-Drive ‘Jeep’ vehicles do so many jobs so well!”. It appeared in the May 1956 issue of The American City magazine, page 177.
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This August 07, 1947, ad in the Sullivan Daily Times out of Sullivan, Indiana, highlights the services Citizen’s Garage provides. The Hudson and Willys-Overland dealer highlights its full range of services in the ad, which also features a photo with several jeeps.
This ad is for sale on eBay and appeared in the January 31, 1949, issue of Time Magazine, page 56.
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UPDATE: According to the author in the 1964 Jeep News Vol. 10 No. 7, this article was published in the September 1964 issue of Trailer Life (I previously guess it was in 1963).
I bought a wagoner literature combo off ebay that included the “Test the ‘Jeep’ Wagoneer” excerpt from an unknown issue of Trailer Life Magazine that also included the early Wagoneer brochure on the post below this one. There are still two sets of these available for purchased the last time I checked.
The writer, Bruce Grantland, concluded that the Wagoneer was a new type of vehicle for towing, better suited to towing long distances in remote areas better than any other vehicle of the time.
This was purchased on eBay along with the Trailer Life excerpt showcased in the above post. To me, the art and color choices seem particularly good.
This Jeep ad claims everyone is happy with a new Jeep Station Wagon! The ad appeared in Greencastle, Indiana’s, The Daily Banner on April 05, 1949.
Both of these ads from the Sullivan Daily Times, out of Sullivan, Indiana, cover the features of the jeep, but do so in slightly different ways. The March 18, 1947, ad focuses on the job-task utility aspects of the jeep, how consumers can use the jeep. The July 13, 1948, ad is less about what the jeep can do task-wise and more about what it can bring consumers beyond specific tasks, such as great mileage, physical comfort, and convenience. I have not studied other ads to see if this was a general trend in Jeep advertising (in other words, I do not know if this shift directed by Willys-Overland or something Citizen’s Garage did on their own).
This June 3, 1947, ad published in the Sullivan Daily Times, out of Sullivan, Indiana, highlights the ability of the jeep to be an efficient, low-cost option as a road-service vehicle.
This is one I’ve bid on a few times, but never seem to get. At some point I will.
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“Vintage Willys Jeep Firetruck Brochure CJ2 CJ3 as pictured. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS First Class Package. Thanks for looking. Let us know if you have any questions”
Reproduction sign? With over 1 hour to go the auction is only at $162 (plus $33.80 shipping).
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“Used Previously displayed Jeep Willys lighted sign Sign. Silk screen lens with metal ribbed frame. Measures 37x3x10.5 inches. Recently purchased with other Mopar related items. Has wood backing and the light source is a tubular bulb. Tested in working condition. Has newer cord. Ships priority insured ”
UPDATE: There is a French version of this brochure as well.
I bought this brochure years ago. I’m glad I did, because I think I’ve only seen one other appear on eBay. The is high on my list of favorites. It’s a high quality print job on textured paper. The downside of the textured paper is that I had to manipulate the images to turn them into decent scans, but doing so made the yellows brighter than they ought to be.
Curiously, the brochure also includes the new ‘Hockey Stick’ style 2-Wheel Drive Wagon, along with solid windshields, but doesn’t mention that the design is new or anything about ‘Maverick’. But, it does indicate the FCs are “new”. Given the photo of the Paris factory on the back, and the nod to the Willys Export Company, this may have been a European focused brochure (the English version … there is a French version, too).
