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About eWillys
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. This section used to be split into jeeps, parts and other categories, but recent changes to eBay will require this information to be recoded.
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.
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 .
UPDATE: I received this in the mail. It’s a surprisingly hefty booklet!
I had just enough time to win this brochure on eBay Sunday. It’s 52 pages. Willys even offered a DJ-3A for the military. I’m guessing this is a 1956 brochure, as it includes the CJ-6 and DJ-3A, but not any FCs.
Below are the seven pages posted on the eBay auction (it will be a while before I can scan this).
“Illustrates and Details;
An original part color folder sent to Willys-Overland dealers to announce the “Dealer Day”; a celebration designed to help dealers better promote their product.
Shows some of the models that were available – 4 trucks.
Excellent condition piece – perfect for Willys-Overland literature collectors.
Approximate size; 5″ x 7″; 12 Pages, printed in the USA.”
This set of brochures just sold for $154.50 on eBay. I’m shocked by that price. In May 2020 I paid $15 for my set!
This collection includes a letter (first time I’ve seen it) that provides a more specific date regarding when these brochures were released. The letter is dated May 5, 1952. Unfortunately, the camera used is poor quality, so the letter isn’t the easiest to read.
You can better see each of these brochures here. The one exception is the “Tool Bar Implements page, which may just be a header page rather than a brochure.
“lot of 6 JEEP Farm Tractor plow mower corn picker tool bar implements Brochures 11 x9 each a page or two showing the jeep and attachments and a rare letter from Willys Kaiser 1952 introducing the attachments for the Jeep. letter has some browning”
This unusual pamphlet, pre-jeep by a couple decades, is a letter-turned brochure touting the use of the Willys-Knight vehicles on the auto stage route between Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek, Colorado. The date of 1919 is based on the author’s assessment of his Willys-Knight vehicle two years after purchasing it in January of 1917.
“This advertising pamphlet/booklet has 12 center-stapled pages, including the two covers. It is in excellent condition for its age and previous handling: no foxing, tape, writing, odor or stains.
There are a few edge tears, as shown in the pics.
The pamphlet is essentially a personal endorsement in the form of a copy of a letter from Leo M. Wright to Willys-Overland in which he describes his experiences with “Willys-Knight” vehicles on his ‘stage line’ of about 43 miles from Colorado Springs to Cripple Creek. He provides many details: “… our first Willys-Knight ran 97,00 miles at a mechanical expense of $149.80 … gasoline averages show about 14 miles to the gallon and oil about 400 miles to the gallon…””
This ad is part of a set of wagon-related brochures. The brochures aren’t in the best shape, but what caught my eye was the Better Homes & Gardens ad. It’s another example of Willys Motors producing what seems to be unique content for that magazine.
This 1948 jeep family brochure was likely produced in late 1948, as there’s a reference to an upcoming expectation “in early 1949” within the text. Outside of that reference, there’s no date stamp or form number. I’ve only seen few of these pop up for sale on eBay, so I snagged this one right away. I believe it represents the earliest and most complete (in pics and text) listing of the full line of jeep models for the civilian market (it lacks any military models and business-focused models, such as the Package Delivery Vans).
I especially like the illustrations. The discussion of the different factory divisions at the back was interesting, too. Including the covers, the brochure is 26 pages.
“Very Rare Vintage late 1950’s / early 1960’s Silver Willys FC-150 Cufflinks in Tarnished but Very Good Used Condition. Stamped “NB” and “STERLING” on the inside surface of both backings.
The Jeep Forward Control is a truck that was produced by Willys Motors, later named Kaiser Jeep, from 1956 to 1965. It was also assembled in other international markets. The layout featured a cab over (forward control) design.
The Forward Control models were primarily marketed as work vehicles for corporate, municipal, military, as well as civilian use. Regular pickup box beds were standard, but customers were offered a large number of “Jeep approved” specialized bodies from outside suppliers. These ranged from simple flatbeds to complete tow trucks, dump trucks, and fire trucks. The vehicles were also manufactured under license in India and Spain.
My Father obtained these cufflinks while working in fleet sales for Willys in the Caribbean and Central & South America in the 50’s and early 60’s.”
I missed out on this fascinating document yesterday on eBay. My high bid of $52.50 wasn’t quite enough, but at least we have pics of the entire document.
It’s not clear to me who the audience was for this document. The fact that it mentions the upcoming trucks suggests to me it was published in early 1947, prior to the introduction of the trucks in the summer of 1947. Maybe the document was for shareholders? Maybe it was for dealers (or prospective dealers)?
Titled “A NEW CONCEPT OF AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION“, the document makes the argument that prior to WWII the automobile was a luxury item for most folks. As such, bigger, longer, and faster, along with yearly innovations, were necessary to attract consumers with disposable income.
However, after the war, argued Willys-Overland in the document, the automobile would become a critical part of everyone’s everyday life. As such, offering consumers an affordable vehicle, one that didn’t change dramatically every year and one that cost less to maintain, was a the vision that Willys-Overland planned to follow. This meant simple vehicles that responded to customer needs, along with lesser tweaks to each model to insure the company could keep costs down (don’t have to redesign dies, fewer factory shutdowns for model changes, etc).
So, the company’s production ideas meant simple designs catered to consumer needs rather than the latest streamlined designs. That makes sense as a strategy; but, in regards to the DISTRIBUTION portion of the document’s title, I could find nothing stating how the company’s strategy would change the distribution side of things. This document probably would have been more accurately titled, “A NEW CONCEPT OF AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTION”.
This unusual ad appeared in the December 18, 1945, issue of the Poughkeepsie Journal. I guess marketers figured adding the “jeep” name to most anything was a good bet for increasing sales?
UPDATE: The other day I realized that the jeep in this photo from a collection of early jeep information published in 2014 looks very similar to an illustrated jeep that appeared in a 1947 newspaper ad. Here’s the image and it’s associated testimonial:
Here’s the advertisement from the June 3, 1947, ad published in the Sullivan Daily Times, out of Sullivan, Indiana, that highlights the ability of the jeep to be an efficient, low-cost option as a road-service vehicle.