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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. 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.
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 .
Anyone ever of this former Pennsylvania ride?
The caption on the back of this postcard reads:
SCENIC JEEP RIDES & ARCHERY at Cook Forest State Park on State Highway 36 along the Clarian River in north-western Pennsylvania. Wild life is plentiful in the park and may be seen by the alert visitor
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Here’s an original press photo of Half-Safe landing in Shenya, AK, on July 9, 1957.
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UPDATE: **Status Unknown** Was on eBay.
Marc forwarded this rare GPA for sale.
Here is the opportunity to add one of the best and most complete GPA’s in the world to your collection. This is a fully turnkey vehicle that needs nothing and is ready to drive or swim anywhere today. It is complete with every accessory including original manuals, tools, and GPA Spare Parts Kits. Most people in the GPA community knows the story of my extensive 8 year collecting and restoration that this vehicle went through. Those around the world that know me, know this was my obsession for over a decade and I have met some wonderful friends. The GPA has been shown and has won best in show, first place, etc. in every show/rally it has ever been entered in. The extensive 3800 hour restoration was done professionally and is fully documented. It has been acknowledged by world experts that this is one of the best GPA’s in the world. The vehicle is a head turner.
Following a successful 1954-1955 Pan-American trip and lecture series, Helen and Frank Schreider began working with National Geographic in the late 1950s. They apparently struck a two part exploration plan. First, the couple would travel along India’s Ganges River Plain in a Ford GPA from the mouth of the river to its source and report on their experience. Second, they’d head toward Indonesia for a much longer adventure, which they described in the Drums of Tonkin.
The 1954-1955 drive through Central and South America beat up their original Ford GPA, ‘La Tortuga’, badly. While they shipped La Tortuga back to California after reaching Tiera Del Fuego, it appears the damage was bad enough that they didn’t attempt to use that GPA to travel again. So, for their new adventure to India and Indonesia they modified a second GPA, calling it La Tortuga II. One way to tell the difference between I and II is the location of the exhaust pipe. On I it is farther behind the lights than it is on II. One reason for this is that the cabin extends farther forward on II than on I. Here are comparison photos:
Tortuga I – Pan American Trip Frank and Helen Schreider. Note the damage to the sides. It is for sale in Norway.
Tortuga II in India. Note how the cabin reaches farther forward and the muffler is closer to the lights. The fate of this GPA is unknown at this time.
Their five month 1960 India adventure from the mouth of the Ganges to it’s source filled forty-two pages of the October, 1960, issue of National Geographic. There’s a definite shift from reporting about their seep and their obstacles, as they did in their first book, to an emphasis on the people and cultures they encountered. In other words, they focused less on adventure and more on anthropology and biology. Still, there are a few photos of La Tortuga II as they explored the waters and plains of the region.
Thanks to several readers who alerted me to some Ford GPA photos on eBay. After closer inspection (and a little studying) I learned this is not a SEEP and not built on the jeep chassis, but rather a vehicle called the Aqua Chetah built on a half-ton chassis and called a G552.
According to this Australian website, Roger W. Hofheins approached the US Military just prior to the US involvement in WWII about building an amphibious assault vehicle. Hofheins proceeded to create some designs and the Amphibian Car Corporation built them. According to Amphibiousvehicles.com, only four prototypes were built utilizing three different designs. As you can see in the photos below, its smooth front and cowl are quite a bit different than the GPAs. Its side profile isn’t as refined either.
There’s a neat video of one being tested in 1942 in Holabird, MD: http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675068957_aqua-cheetah_moves-in-water_moves-on-a-road_a-sea-jeep
The Amphibian Car Co. was based in Buffalo, New York. At the Buffalo & Erie County Library is an eight page book published by the company. According to World Cat, there are also some archive information, including a newspaper article from 1941. If anyone has some time, it might be interesting to see what’s there.
1) First Photo for sale. View all the information on eBay
2) Second photo for sale. View all the information on eBay
3) Third photo for sale. View all the information on eBay:
More links, photos and information:
I think this is the first photo of the GPA production line that I’ve seen.
“1943 Press Photo Sea Jeep production fro the Army in Dearborn Michigan”
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UPDATE: A 1964 article in the Spokesman-Review highlights their speaking tour following the Indonesian trip.
Map of Frank and Helen Schreider’s Indonesian Adventure during 1961.
In 1954, Helen and Frank Schreider drove a Ford GPA (amphibious jeep) named Tortuga from the Arctic Circle to the southern most town in South America, Ushuaia, Argentina. They published a book about their adventure called 20,000 Miles South: A Pan-American Adventure in a Seagoing Jeep from the Arctic Circle. It was a book I enjoyed.
In 1960, Helen and Frank began a new adventure in India. For unknown reasons, Tortuga was replaced by the Tortuga II (Amphibious Vehicle website has a great comparison information between Tortuga I and Tortuga II). Perhaps the original Tortuga was too damaged to undertake another long trek. The goal of their Indian adventure was to explore the Ganges river plain and write an article for National Geographic (which appeared in the October 1960 issue). I have the article, but have yet to read it.
In 1961, following their India adventure, the pair undertook an even longer expedition. They wanted to explore Indonesia’s Lesser Sundas, a chain of islands stretching 3000 miles from Bali to Timor. Their adventure filled two large articles for National Geographic (Indonesia: Young and Troubled Nation in the May 1961 issue and East from Bali by Seagoing Jeep in the August 1962 issue
). They also published a book in 1963 called the Drums of Tonkin: An Adventure in Indonesia
.
Both the National Geographic articles about Indonesia and their Drums of Tonkin book are dense with cultural references and photographs. Unfortunately, both the articles and the book over-burdened me with local references to such a degree that for me the story was less compelling than their 20,000 Miles book. This likely reflects a larger emphasis on anthropology, geography, and biology, a result of their funding by National Geographic.
Despite the compelling prose, there were plenty of photographs to enjoy. Here’s just a few. This first one is pretty self-explanatory.
According to the New York Times obituary for Frank, who died in 1994 in Crete, the couple joined National Geographic in 1967 and continued to have additional adventures by vehicle, foot and boat. However, there is no record that they ever traveled by GPA.
Mark asked about finding a SEEP in a museum. So, I this post reflects GPAs in museums and around the world. I’m sure there are others. If you know of any more, please email me a link or add it to the comments.
In Bangkok, Thailand, this SEEP is housed with several other jeeps at the Chokchai Museum. This video shows a short walk around. That might be a M-606 next to it.
The Wheatcroft Collection, in Leicester, England, has a great collection of vehicles, including this GPA. Here are many more photos of the collection.
Wheatcroft Collection Ford GPA http://www.flickr.com/photos/hooper-phil/10435948444/sizes/z/in/photostream/
The Moscow, Russia, Victory Park has a GPA stored outside. This website includes a variety of closeups as well.
http://svsm.org/gallery/gpa
Back in 2010 I posted this GPA that’s housed in the South African Military Museum in Johannesburg.
I’ve never seen a photo of a GPA used as an ambulance. But, apparently this one was carrying wounded soldiers from the front.
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Marc spotted this great photo of a GPA emerging from the river.
“1943- Soldiers from Fort Wayne give Ford amphibian reconnaissance cars a workout on river in Detroit.”
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