This eight-page 1965 Jeep News Volume 11 Number 2 begins by announcing the Vigilante V-8 engine. Unmentioned in the news article was the response by recent purchasers of the six cylinder models, which was a unanimous, “Wow, I coulda had a V8!” .. or am I confusing that with another product? Pages 2-7 continue with more V-8 info, along with marketing and dealer info.

Page eight reports on the 1965 Chicago Auto Show. Jeep showcased eleven vehicles, all decked in a prairie gold color with black vinyl interior trim, which got me thinking … what did Willys Motors and Kaiser Jeep do over the years with their specially trimmed auto show vehicles? Looking back to the 1959 Chicago Auto show (Feb 1959 Jeep News), it was reported that all the vehicles at that show had been sold. Moreover, the display featured a full line of “Willys approved special equipment”, but by 1965 note the second largest word that appears on the display wall: “fun“… the word is written in what might be described as a playful font and style. Moreover, it’s hard to see a piece of special equipment (but the pic on page eight doesn’t show the best view; I tried to find some better pics). I’m beginning to wonder it the marketing firm hired in 1964 had something to do with the shift in perspective, from “useful” vehicles to “fun” vehicles. That could explain it.

This eight-page 1965 Jeep News Volume 11 Number 1 kicked off 1965 with the announcement that 1964 had been the best sales year in history. The article specifically targets the Tux Park CJ-5s as an important driver of the success. Page two shares the news that the Kaiser-backed Willys Overland do Brasil had begun building a second plant in Brazil; also noteworthy is that the Brazilian company was the largest publicly held company in Brazil at that time.

Page three contains an article about Pope Paul IV conferring the order of St. Gregory upon the President of the Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A., which, to me, seems a curious distinction given all the other people in the world doing important things and the fact that the Knights Commander seems a fairly rare award (I tried to find the total number of recipients, but had no luck). Lower on the page is a photo of a CJ-3B carrying the Pope in Bombay, which causes the cynic in me to wonder about the timing of these two events. I’m sure it’s a coincidence.

Page four is dealer news. Page five covers the use of Tux Parks in former President Kennedy’s inauguration parade. We’ve seen a couple of these with the dash plaque pop up for sale since the start of eWillys. Page six tells the story of the John B. Calfee family, who traveled Europe driving a Wagoneer that pulled a travel trailer. Pages seven and eight have a few different mini-stories and photos.

This end-of-year 1964 Jeep News Volume 10 Number 7 was expanded to twelve pages. The issue starts with some dealer news on page one. Page two reports on the success of Meyer hardtops and how demand forced an increase in production at Meyer Products, Inc. Dealers found them easier than most to install with less rattles while driving. On the lower left of page two, it’s noted that Jeep dealers often loaned jeeps to campaign committees of both parties. I didn’t know that happened.

Page three includes a story about Cold Spring, New York, ‘Jeep’ dealer William M. McAndrew and how his firm loaned 4WD vehicles to fire fighters during a hard-to-reach fire. On page three’s lower left is a rare XM-677 sighting, though much of it is blocked by Brazilian Army officers. Page four begins with a letter from Bruce Grantland, who wrote a review of the Wagoneer for Trailer Life Magazine (09/64). Page four also includes a pic from the “Kaiserama” exhibit, then located at the Kaiser center in Oakland, California. Page five has mostly dealer news, though a pic of some the 42 jeeps owned by the Nursery Company out of Azusa, California is included.

Pages six and seven share international news and pics. Page eight includes a photo of the Radio Patrol Club operated by the Keystone Automobile Club that traveled the Philadelphia metropolitan area helping folks in trouble. Page nine highlights some KJC military vehicle news. Pages ten and eleven shows a Gladiator Fire Truck, among other story snippets. Page twelve covers some Canadian jeep news.  It also includes a photo of an FC-150 pulling a big truck with a three-story-house as its cargo; the little jeep that could!

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