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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 .
This particular Wilmington, North Carolina, dealer was selling trucks, cars, jeeps, tractors, and much more. The ad appeared in the February 7, 1946, issue of the Wilmington Morning Star.
This November 14, 1943, Evening Star article highlights both the mystery armor plated jeeps and about how pretending to be crazy might just save your life.
The April 16, 1943, issue of the Evening Star announced the D.C.’s Woodrow Wilson High School ‘smashed’ the city’s jeep record by getting selling enough bonds and stamps to purchase 22 jeeps. 
On the same page of the newspaper was a nice story (nothing about jeeps) about a man who was blinded at his machine shop job, but managed to find work again due to his heightened sense of touch.
This April 4, 1943, article in the Sunday Star shares more about the things the military was doing with jeeps (not the best scan, but it’s all I got).
UPDATE II: Bob Westerman shared a few cage photos he’s found during his research:
UPDATE: Dan tracked down this detailed explanation of the Squirrel Cage: http://weaponews.com/weapons/16209-a-system-for-increasing-the-patency-of-the-squirrel-cage-usa.html
The November 9, 1948, issue of the Evening Star ran a short article on the Squirrel Cage. A February 1949 issue of Mechanix Magazine ran the same photo (and it’s more clear).
The Evening Star photo and caption:
The Modern Mechanix photo and caption:
This March 02, 1941, photo from the Evening Star appears to show the original Pygmy.
Mario shared this article on Facebook from the May 25, 1941, issue of the Des Moines Register. A report describes his experience riding in one and imagines how it might be used. I find the claim that it would go “87-miles-an-hour–without opening it up” a stretch, but that was likely just a propaganda plug.
The CIO News out of Cumberland, MD, published a story on March 15, 1943, about the US Army and Navy honoring the workers of Willys Overland.
This July 15, 1945, article in the Evening Star featured a great shot of Ford GPAs. I thought the article was interesting, too. It highlights the challenges of managing war surplus (links to page 1 and page 2 of original article).
Herbert Lanks wrote an article titled “… By Jeep To Alaska” that was published in the February 13, 1944, issue of the Evening Star (published on page 4 and page 5). He’d later write a second, and different, article titled with the same name published in the September issue of Popular Photography.
The article below appears between sets of photos. The first photo below shows the humble beginnings of the Watson Lake Sign Forest.
These photos were published in the November 19, 1944, issue of the Evening Star. It sure was a mess over there at times!
Matching Original Press Photos:
This series of photos was published June 14, 1942, in the Evening Star. There’s also a post from 2015 that includes some similar photos. Becky Bergmann in a Ford GP was featured in several.
The August 20, 1944, issue of the Evening Star shared these jeeps used for War Bond Sales. They were modified by the Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, motor pool. The image with “Jeeps in Civvies” label has been featured on eWillys previously, but I’ve never seen the other two jeeps.
Joseph Morton’s description of his jeep trip from Bathhurst, Gambia, to Dakar, French West Africa, was published in the Evening Star, December 26, 1942. Fun fact: I got to know a Gambian ambassador to the US and was invited to Gambia to help work on a school’s computer system back in 2002, but other priorities kept me from going.
Bathhurst is now known as Banjul, Gambia’s capital city. French West Africa is now Senegal. This map *might* be close to the route taken:
Now for the article:
This article about Charles Sorenson was published in the Evening Star in conjunction with “My Life with a Jeep” on July 15, 1945. The issue also included a photo of the newly release CJ-2A (which didn’t scan well into black and white).
UPDATE: Terry pointed out that this same vehicle, a SPEN self-sustaining motion picture unit, appears in a Willys Industrial Equipment book brochure. Here it is below:
Talk about a rare jeep. Anyone ever seen one of these (if there are any left). It’s a specially outfitted jeep for the State Department for carrying the story of America to the world. The first pics below were from a September 1949 issue of Popular Science, while the newspaper article was carried in the Sunday Star on Sunday, April 17, 1949.
From the September 1949 issue of Popular Science:
From the Sunday Star, April 17, 1949:
This ad for a ‘Jeep’ Caravan was published in The Wilmington Morning Star on November 04, 1947.
This article was published in the May 20, 1941, issue of the Evening Star. It’s rare to see a Willys MA in newspaper photos.
This is all for today (well this and the two videos below). We are still out camping.
These toy jeeps were part of the Seventh War Loan drive. Given the date this was published (July 19, 1945), could these have been the early Al-Toy jeeps?
And, here’s a video highlighting the Seventh War Loan Drive (that includes the Iwo Jima sculpture unveiling).
This October 3, 1945, ad from Willys-Overland was published in the Evening Star, based in Washington, D.C.. The ad announces the appointment of Willys of Washington as an area distributer.
Santa brought me the flu for Christmas Eve….. Thanks Santa! So, between that and helping my parents, I am taking another day off. We head back to Pasco for a few days, so I’ll be able to catch up at that time.
It was a different sort of Christmas this year, lol.
Mario shared this great article from 1943 on Facebook.
Mario shared this on Facebook.
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 -”
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”.
