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1950s Willys Aero Taxi Brochure on eBay

July 12, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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This “All Hail the … Beautiful Economy Safety of the Willys Taxi” brochure isn’t jeep-related, but I found it interesting. I wouldn’t have guess that the Willys Aero car was ever marketed as a Taxi. Maybe it was only advertised that way internationally (this brochure hails from Australia)?

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“An original 1950s Willys-Overland advertising brochure for the Willys Aero Taxi car. This interesting fold-out brochure describes the main features of this Willys Taxicab with a range of illustrations. It was published by Willys-Overland in Toledo Ohio in the USA.”

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1961 International Harvester Scout Vs. Jeep Booklet

July 11, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Documents, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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In March of 1961 it appears that Willys Motors released a 4-page brochure that compared the jeeps vs. the International Harvester Scout. The IH Scout made it’s debut in late 1960, so Willys didn’t waste much time in producing the document in response to the Scout’s release.

In turn, IH didn’t waste time in publishing it’s own comparison with a technical booklet over 40 pages long. I’m not entirely sure for whom this document was intended, engineers? Sales force? Management? For Marketing so it could distill the information for the sales force?

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February 1948 “See How Much More You Get” Ad

July 11, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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This “See How Much More You Get” advertisement appeared in the February 1948 issue of the Farm Journal. It measures 8.5″ x 11″. Both the half and full version of the top appear to be Worman tops.

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This same ad appeared in the February 1948 issue of Successful Farming. It also likely appeared in the February or March 1948 issue of Country Gentleman.

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T. Cohn Superior Plastic/Metal Jeep on eBay

July 11, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Features, toys This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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T. Cohn made a wide number of toys, but this is the only example of a jeep that I’ve run across. It’s about 5″ long.

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“This is a great hard plastic military jeep which also has a metal base, free rolling wheels and nice detail. It is marked “Made in Gr Britain” on both sides of each wheel and it would appear that this toy is missing a “driver” and an “antenna” ?

This toy has great olive drab marbled hard plastic and the brittle windshield is not damaged. It does not retract and it does not appear that this was intended to do so. There is no glue residue, stressed portions or repairs. This item is offered as found.

The entire toy measures approx. 5 inches long. This toy shows the slightest soiling and it is a very hard to find item. It is offered as found with a number of other vintage hard plastic, diecast metal, rubber and other vehicle related toys. These items all dated from the late 1940’s to the late 1960’s.”

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King Top Manufacturing Company

July 10, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features, Magazine • TAGS: , . This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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UPDATE: This post has been merged and reworked after I figured out that the two tops were actually related. 

In July of 1963, Fresno-based Automotive Fiberglass Company placed an advertisement in Four Wheeler magazine for its new fiberglass hardtop. I wonder if the builder of this top was also a member of the Fresno Jeep Club?

This is the 1963 ad:

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July 1963 Ad from Automotive Fiberglass

This Automotive Fiberglass top appeared on a CJ-5 for sale in Fresno in 2010. It is the only jeep I’ve seen with an Automotive Fiberglass Top:

CJ-5 with 1963 fiberglass hardtop from Automotive Fiberglass. 

TIMELINE —
July 1963: Automotive Fiberglass places ad in Four Wheeler Magazine;
November 1963: Top King Manufacturing files design patent for an altered version of the Automotive Fiberglass top;
February 1964: Top King top is advertised in the Four Wheeler Magazine;
September 1964: A more detailed ad is placed in Four Wheeler Magazine.

A few months after the Automotive Fiberglass advertisement, two design patents were filed and assigned to Top King Manufacturing. You’ll note that the rear side-angle has been reversed. The mid-section insert piece for the side was also changed, altered from a triangle shape to a rhombus shape.  Here’s the design patent information from the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office:

 

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November 1963 Design Patent filing for Top King. Note that I haven’t had the time to investigate the designers mentioned in the patent. 

By February 1964, King Top was advertising the newly redesigned top in Four Wheeler Magazine. Curiously, the company listed its name as the Top King Fiberglass Company rather than Top King Manufacturing (could be a relic from the Automotive Fiberglass company days):

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February 1964 Ad from Top King.

Seven months later, this second ad was placed in the September 1964 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine. The company had corrected its name for the ad back to Top King Manufacturing. Additionally, Top King announced it would soon have flatfender versions of the top available, along with a half cab version. Have any of these survived?

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September 1964 Ad from Top King Manufacturing.

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2 Similar, But Different 1946 Willys Wagon Ads on eBay

July 10, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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These two slightly different luggage-plus-people-wagon ads were published in different magazines.

This first was appeared in a 1946 issue of the New Yorker. This family is planning their first post-war vacation. You can view all the information on eBay:

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This second one is from 1946, but the publisher is unknown. This ad includes less luggage for the group’s trip to the ‘big game’.  You can view all the information on eBay:

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Boulder Bouncers Patrol 12 Jeep Club Badge on eBay

July 10, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images Jeeping This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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The buy-it-now price is a weighty $749.99.

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“VINTAGE Jeep Off-road Car Club Boulder Bouncers Colorado Grille Badge RARE 50s. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS First Class Package. It is 8” wide.

When we moved into our house the original owner had this in the garage on the wall.

He was a founding member of a very early off road club here in boulder Colorado but not sure of the year? There were early 50s Jeep parts in the garage too that have already been sold”

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Hemet Cavalcaders Jeep Club Sign on eBay

July 10, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images Jeeping This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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This is an even crazier price at $1,149.99 (priced to sell??). Was this the original name of the Hemet Jeep Club, with the Cavalcaders portion of the name dropped at some point?

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“Old School, Hemet/San Jacinto Valley – Jeep Cub sign. “Hemet California Cavalcaders.’ – 1940s – The Cavalcaders, were one of the FIRST 4×4 Clubs in the USA! …An ultra-rare item.

9” in diameter, was generally mounted to the Willys’ Jeep door. Cool & Beautiful.

Priced to sell. 2-minor scratches. TAC numbered and officially authenticated! The real dealio – not a fake knock-off!

Antique – 1940s, Hemet CA., “Cavalcaders” – 9″ Round Door – JEEP Club Sign – ultra-rare!

The Hemet Cavalcaders Jeep Club was one of the first four-wheel drive clubs – in the United States, dating back to the late 1940s. Many Club-members affixed these signs to their doors to highlight their club.”

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1991 ‘The First 50 Years’ Jeep Press Packet

July 9, 2020 • CATEGORIES: Bantam-FordGP-WillysMA-EarlyJPs, Documents, Features, Old Images • TAGS: . This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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Thanks to Maury, I was able to get this 1991 press packet off ebay and shipped for under $10. That’s a good day. It wasn’t clear to me all that was inside, but it turned out to be a heck of a deal. The three-page tri-fold stores photos, old press releases, histories, and a few miscellaneous items.

Here’s the front of the packet:

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These are the materials that are stored inside. There are four press releases, fourteen reproduction 8×10 photos, a 40-page AMC/Chrysler history, a jeep history that’s attached to the binder (see upper right corner), one March 1963 Jeep News front-page reproduction and a late 1940s wagon ad reproduction. Just the reproduction of the Willys Quad photo was worth the cost of this package (I’d never gotten around to getting one).jeep-pr-packet-05

I haven’t read this history just yet, but wasn’t in a hurry as I’ve already read this book on AMC’s history:

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Here’s how the binder looks when opened. The jeep history starts at the page in the middle.

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Under the last page of the jeep history is a holder for all the photos and other documents:

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Here are two 1990s press releases (I only took photos of the front pages):

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These are two 1980s press releases:

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The press release on the left is from early 1942 and covers the changing situation with America’s entry into WWII, while the one on the right is from 1965:

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The Jeep News reproduction page from March 1963 is shown on the left. It includes a report on the name change from Willys Motors to Kaiser Jeep and the Willys-Overland Export Corp. to Kaiser Jeep International Corp. The reproduction wagon ad on the right is from 1948 and includes details on which magazine and dates it appeared (I wish I had that database of information!).

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