Maury shared this video from Collins Brothers Jeep (out of Wylie, Texas) of a 1970 CJ-5 with only 882 miles. (In case the video doesn’t work correctly, the 1970 CJ-5 portion begins near the 5:20 mark).
Features Research Archives
Willys Jeep Newspaper Ad During 1944
UPDATE: Maury shared a magazine page on eBay that contains a similar ad to the one shown at the bottom of this page. It’s almost identical, except that Jeep now appears with single-quotes.
The use of single quotes outside of a set of double quotes is uncommon. One editor summed it up best by describing it’s use this way: If a phrase or a word is uncommon or you are highlighting it to the reader for a particular reason – for example, as a neologism or a conscious use of jargon – use single quotation marks. Any punctuation sits outside single quotation marks. Thus, I suspect Willys-Overland felt they could defend the use of ‘JEEP’ by describing it’s presence as a descriptive use of jargon, rather than an attempt to back into the trademarking of the name. However, backing into the trademark using single quotes was exactly what the company was doing.
To answer the question I asked in the original post (was the bottom ad a local dealer or national corporate campaign), given these two ads appeared in two different national magazines, it seems likely this simple ad construction was part of a national campaign by Willys-Overland to begin prepping the public for post war jeep sales, This particular ad appeared in the October 1944 issue of Successful Farming.
This page is for sale on eBay:
The purposeful addition of the single quotes reflects a similar change seen in the iconic Saturday Evening Posts during 1944, as demonstrated in these ads. The first highlighted ad of February 05, 1944, was the first time Willys-Overland replaced the prominent WILLYS stamp on the Post ads with JEEP (or in this case JEEPS) with no single quotes.
What isn’t quite the same is that the Midland Journal ad below without the single quotes lasted longer (through October 6 1944) than the Saturday Evening Post ads. Perhaps Willys-Overland purchased several months of ads beginning in June of 1944 right before the addition of the single quotes too place? However it happened, what the ad above shows is that Willys was correcting the single quotes’ issue across its advertising.
Why did the company ad the single quotes in the first place? As I argued in this long post on Willys Overland’s changing identity during WWII, I believe it stems from the 1944 congressional inquiry into the company’s efforts to trademark the JEEP name.
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Originally published March 29, 2020: Here’s an unusually small and succinct ad that appeared seven times in the Midland Journal out of Rising Sun, Maryland, from June 30, 1944, through October 6, 1944. I’ve yet to run across this specific ad elsewhere.
One thing to note is that in July of 1944, Willys-Overland began using single quotes around the word Jeep like this ‘Jeep’ major magazine ads, yet that was not done in any of the newspaper ads in the Midland Journal, as shown below. (Ed note …. Yeah, I know, not earth shattering news, but I never know when little details like this will add up to some insight).
The ad shown below was in the August 11, 1944, issue of the Midland Journal:
This shows how small the ad was within the newspaper page.
A WWII Jeep Crate Weighed 784lbs
In the miscellaneous-facts-that-probably-weren’t-accurate-at-all …. According to the July 05, 1944, issue of the Conneautville Courier (Conneautville, Pennsylvania), the standard jeep weighed 2,368lbs, while the crates used to box jeeps weighted 784lbs. I wonder how many jeeps and how many crates actually weight those amounts?
Just One Update for Sunday
Updates will resume Monday morning….
Only 17 more days until we close on the new place. We’ve packed most of our stuff and are now doing minor repairs and maintenance, such as some trim painting, light landscaping, and, one of the biggest tasks, cleaning out our backyard waterfall and pond. It can be a pain to clean every spring, but it sure is nice to listen to on the back porch on a sunny day. It will also help sell this place.
Here is how it usually looks (though this was taken in April, prior to many of the flowers blooming):
As we approach the closing date, I plan to take at least one, if not two weeks off to get the new place ready, move our stuff, and finish details on the old house to ready it for sale. But, don’t fret, there will still be new daily content (and some retread of older feature posts). One person who is responsible for providing new content is a dedicated researcher named John Hamrin, who has taken the time to go through the British Pathe video site to locate any videos with jeeps in it. He has now sent me over 100 links to videos, with more arriving as I type this post. So far, most appear to be WWII related. So, a HUGE thanks to him for his painstaking research and generosity!!
Finally, a word to one of our newest and most passionate readers, almost-two-year-old Miranda Tilford, who, has become a passionate viewer of eWillys. On Saturday morning (yesterday), Marty wrote to tell me that shortly before messaging me, Miranda came up to him and said, “Jeep, jeep, jeep”. At first he was confused at what she wanted, so she repeated, “jeep, jeep, jeep”. About that time, Marty realized that she wanted to sit down with him and go through eWillys. Sure enough, they sat down and scrolled through some jeeps. That poor, poor young lady has been afflicted with the Willys sickness already; there is no hope for her!!
So, in Miranda’s honor, with a nod to John’s video efforts, here are some WAACs trying out their driving skills with jeeps and trucks:
February 1962 Issue of Jeep News
This February 1962 issue of Jeep News includes two good photos on page four of the DJ-3A-based mobile bar that was at the Las Brisas resort in Mexico. I have a color photo of that, too. It might be fun to recreate one of those.
Page three shares a little info on a twenty-eight page dealer booklet entitled, “Your Ten Major Retail Markets”. That’s a book I’ve yet to see anywhere.
1948? Willys-Overland Sign Program
This eight-page Willys-Overland Sign Program sold on eBay for $38 (plus $4 shipping) late night. The seller only provided two pics, so I was unsure if this would be worth the money. Given the front-page design of the brochure, I’d guess this was produced around 1949. The design is reminiscent of other Willys-Overland catalogs of the era (see examples at the bottom).
“This is a 9 X 11 8 page brochure of WILLYS -OVERLAND SIGN PROGRAM FACTORY APPROVED shows products offered to dealers from Neon Products of Lima Ohio some slight scuffing on the covers…also has a order blank”
A 5-foot version of the Willys Service Sign sold out of Buda, Texas, for $400 back in 2014. It was likely sign model #WO-111 (the large sign pictured on the left side of the left page). These are the only two interior pages that were included in the auction ad:
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Similar covers from 1949 that have the style AND the WO logo. For example, Barney has this 1949 Parts List catalog listed on eBay:
There’s this 1949 Jeepster owners manual:
And, this is a 1948 CJ-3A Owners Manual on eBay:
And this 1948 CJ-2A (with envelope) owner’s manual on eBay:
1952 Photos of British Minister of Defense Earl Harold Alexander’s Jeep
These two photos show the jeep (likely a Ford GPW) of Defense Field Marshal Harold Alexander, the first Earl Alexander of Tunis (technically, Alexander of Tunis, Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, Earl, 1891-1969). The second photo is dated June 27, 1952. The jeep’s tires look much more aggressive than the standard NDTs. The windshield looks more like a 2A than an MB/GPW. Those doors look awfully thick. I wonder how heavy they were.
According to the post, captions, these are “Part of a series that Williams shot on assignment documenting the visit to Korea of British Minister of Defence Field Marshal Harold Alexander, the first Earl Alexander of Tunis. Here, Earl Alexander salutes as he leaves a Common Wealth Division bunker in his jeep.”
All three of these photos are part of the Pepperdine University Digital Collections.
- https://cdm15730.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15730coll5/id/1334
- https://cdm15730.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15730coll5/id/695
- https://cdm15730.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15730coll5/id/1148
Cute little “jeep” Trailer
Jack Bowlin posted photos of the cute little jeep trailer he created, one that matches his jeep. I like it.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1641202336209808/permalink/2742473362749361/
1963 Video of Lifesavers and their Jeep
John helped me locate this short video from 1963 showing one of Cornwall’s surf rescue teams. In it, these brave young men demonstrate how they utilize their specially modified jeep to perform rescues. Baywatch it aint!
View the video here: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/jeep-lifesavers-aka-lifesavers
1949 Article Introduces the 4WD Wagon
This September 17, 1949, article in the Green Bay Press-Gazette states that the four-wheel-drive wagon evolved out of a military special order for four-wheel-drive-wagons. I’ve run across that fact previously, maybe on a brochure?
2021 Willys Reunion is Scheduled for May 21-22 in Aurora, OH
The 2021 Willys Reunion has confirmed it will take place May 21-22 in Aurora, Ohio, this year. My lovely bride and I won’t be able to make it, but hopefully we’ll be more settled in 2022 and can visit at that time. Maybe we can even bring one of our jeeps next time!
1945 Photo of Udem, Germany
Charles shared this 1945 photo from Udem, Germany, showing a British and Canadian forces, along with a of couple jeeps, one with a permanent looking top. What’s the vehicle in the lower right?
Military Jeep Photos From Various Databases
Here are some military photos that appear in various library databases.
1. This first one shows a jeep that was dug out from an avalanche in the Grand Tetons:
“lack and white photo showing a Jeep vehicle after being extracted from an avalanche at Glory Bowl in the Teton Range, Wyoming.”
2. Here’s a solider welding jeep fenders:
3. This 1947 photograph appears to be a Swedish family surrounding the family MB:
4. This 1947 photo from Sweden shows the same jeep as above. It seems like some of the folks from the top photo also appear in this one?
November 1947 Ad for a Jeep Caravan in North Carolina
This is a great vintage ad for the Jeep Caravan ‘Free Show’. That’s a nice touch with the fire jeep shooting water up the side of the ad. This appeared in the November 6, 1947, issue of the News and Observer out of Raleigh, North Carolina.
1942 Americar Brochure w/ Willys MA Photos
This 1942 Americar Brochure includes a page that shows the Willys MA. I dropped out of the bidding at $30. I’ll keep my eye open for a cheaper version of this brochure.
Here’s the page with the MAs on it.
The following images might show the entire brochure in the correct order. Note the page showing the Americar’s “Willys Chassis” … anyone know how similar this was in size to the wagon chassis?
Jalopnik Author Shares a Bad Dealer Tale
The author of this non-jeep Jalopnik post tells the story of how a dealership intimidated his mother into signing paperwork she didn’t want to sign and how she successfully sued the dealership in return. Thankfully, she had read and understood the contract she had signed.
This story hit home with Ann and I as she bought herself a Red 2017 GMC truck the other day and we both left feeling like those folks had no interest in having us actually read what she was signing, though we did quickly skim the contract to the annoyance of the paperwork guy.
https://jalopnik.com/my-mom-has-her-own-terrible-detained-at-the-dealership-1846348696
A Date With Judy, Issue #22
Between 1947 and 1960, Judy (do we ever learn her last name?) dated A LOT. Every couple of months, Judy was on another date, hence the title “A Date with Judy”. During date #22, she hooked up with a feller who owned a jeep (who may have been her main squeeze named Oogie?), at least the jeep appears on the cover (I don’t know if the jeep plays a role in one of the stories inside the comic book).
As you may have guessed by now, I really don’t have any idea what I’m talking about regarding this comic book series! Anyway, here’s the cover.
Prior to the Comic book, there was a radio series by the same name.
Winter Park Villager: A DJ-3A Surrey Pulling a Matching Trailer
UPDATE: The two post cards at the bottom of this post were on eBay several years ago. I recently came across some newspaper clippings that give background about the Winter Park Villager tram’s purpose. The service began November 28, 1966, but I could not find an end-date.
This first article discusses the jeep tram’s beginnings:
This next article notes that Monday, November 28th, as the launch date for the jeep tram service.
This short article from March of 1967 describes some of the tram’s stops:
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This Winter Park Villager shows a DJ-3A Surrey pulling a matching trailer in Winter Park, Florida. One of these postcards is currently on eBay.
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Here’s another view of the same combo. One of these postcards is currently on eBay
Year? M-38 Willys-Overland Export Company Brochure
This sold yesterday on eBay for $51 +shipping. I gave up bidding on it, because I couldn’t tell how many pages there were. I was concerned there were only four and didn’t want to get into a bidding war over it (I got another cool brochure instead).
1954? Siebert Willys Ambulance Utility Cars Brochure
This undated Siebert Willys Ambulance brochure was probably produced in 1954-or 1955, based on the grille design on page 4. There is no form number on it. Within the brochure the company describes three different ambulance options.
- One was called an Ambulance Utility Wagon and is featured on the backpage. It appears to be a basic sedan delivery with added first-aid/ambulance equipment.
- The company also produced a Willys Custom Ambulance, which included side windows and a “deluxe interior”.
- The third was called the Willys Ambulance Bus (originally called the Willys Ambulance in a 1951 brochure). It was a lengthened 4-door (with the rear doors set up as suicide doors), along with other mods.
Derek provides more information on the Siebert Ambulances and has additional pics on the CJ-3B page.
1960 Article on the Los Angeles Arborteum Jeep Train
This June 25, 1960, article the Los Angeles Times shares the news that the jeep train would be expanded to two trams, rather than just one. Based on other articles, it appears the one-tram jeep train was started sometime around 1955.
JEEP — Joint Effort Extra Pay Slogan
Maury forwarded this “JEEP” pin that’s available on eBay. Does anyone have any history on the slogan “Joint Effort Extra Pay”? It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that this was some kind of Willys-Overland or Willys-Motors factory worker incentive program, but I’d want more evidence before concluding that.
View all the information on eBay
“Vintage, JEEP FACTORY PIN (Joint-Effort-Extra-Pay) 1-1/2 x 3/4 Inches”
A web search yielded a second item with the same logo, except this time on an ashtray with the an accompanying “A W” logo.
1960? Jeep Family Brochure in French
As discussed on this page, which shares the English version of this brochure, given the “hockey stick” style of the 2WD wagon and the one-piece wagon and truck windshields sometimes shown, this could have been a 1960 brochure. And, it may have been European focused given the French and Enlightenment versions.
Here is the French version fo the brochure:
David Tracy to Turn FC-170 into Electric Off-Roader
Over at Jalopnik, David Tracy reported on his plans to turn a derelict FC-170 from Camano Island into an electric off-road vehicle. He provides plenty of pics of the neglected FC, one that will require a full rebuild. It will be interesting to follow this project.
https://jalopnik.com/im-converting-this-1958-jeep-fc-170-into-an-electric-of-1846322974
Modified MB w/ Marshall Jones and Roy Joe Baxter
This jeep has some of the stranger fenders I’ve seen on WWII jeeps. They seem like they are slowly absorbing the jeep
https://digital.lib.utk.edu/collections/islandora/object/volvoices%3A3434
“Marshall “Grandpa” Jones and Roy Joe Baxter pose with Roy Joe’s stream-lined Jeep in Munich, Germany, 1945. The Jeep was named “the Hunk.” After the war Jones attained fame as a musician on the Grand Ole Opry. At the age of 32 he was already called “Grandpa”– he got his nickname ten years prior due to his grouchy moods on his morning radio show. The Jeep was most likely a government contracted passenger model made by Ford or Willys. There were over 500,000 of these cars produced during the War.”