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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 .
According to the M201.com website, in 2009 the Musee Des Blindes in Saumur, France, unveiled a Hotchkiss M201 ENTAC. I do not remember ever seeing one of these.
As far as I can tell, this M201 is the only jeep at this particular museum. These first and last pics are from this page on the M201 website. The 2nd pic was on Flicker and taken by Massimo Foti.
According to their website, the museum “specializes in the acquisition and display of light armored vehicles and artillery used by the U.S. Army in World War II. During World War II reenactments the museum usually portrays the 70th Tank Battalion. The museum participates in WWII related displays, parades, motion pictures and reenactments throughout the United States.”
Roberts Armory has also been asked to participate in movies and shows. Though Roberts appears to have a facility, unlike traditional museums, Roberts is only open for visitation on special days or by special appointment.
While Roberts only appears to have one 1945 MB, they do have a few different outfits for it.
1. Here it is with and without a top.
2. Here it is with the 50 Cal gun mounted.
3. Here it is in full armor.
The Sunbelt Antique and Classic Automobile Company & Museum at Las Vegas, Nevada, has several Willys. I think you’ll find the last one most interesting …
First, we have this beautiful 1946 Wagon:
Here we have a couple pics of a 1948 Jeepster:
And now we have this beautiful ‘1943 Military Jeep’ …. Seriously, here’s the sign! Sure lookings like a militarized CJ-2A to me. See more pics as well. I sure hope they didn’t pay too much for that!
Located in Petaluma, California, The Richard Penry Medal of Honor Memorial Military Museum appears to have two Willys. One is well restored (though I have a question) and the Second one is part of a diorama and tipped on its side.
Here’s the first, a Slat Grille MB. These images are from Wikipedia. My question is … isn’t that front cross member from a GPW and not a MB? Or am I missing something?
The back of this MB:
Here’s the tipped over Willys. I couldn’t find a better pic of this.
UPDATE: Both are still available. The CJ-3B is now listed at Hemmings.
Located down in Miami, Fl, and formerly located at the Trump International Beach and Hotel, the Dezer Museum became a public museum in 2010. It is now housed in a 250,000 square foot complex that showcases a collection of 600 cars, thousands of memorabilia items, a food court, shopping and more.
The collection currently has two jeeps. One is a 1951 M-38 (which can be bought for $20,000) and a CJ-3B (which they have incorrectly listed as a 1951 and is for sale for $25,000)
Here are some pics of the CJ-3B:
Here are some pics of the 1951 M-38:
The Gilmore Car Museum in Kalamazoo, Mi, “includes eight historic barns, a re-created 1930s service station, a small town train station, and nearly three miles of paved roads.” This complex houses a large and diverse collection of automobiles and automobile memorabilia in a truly unique setting.
One of the vehicles housed at the Gilmore is one of three BRC-40s assembled (or built or rumored to have been built) by the Checker Automotive Company. I’ve looked into the various bits of information about the Checkers and there seems to be no better summary of the status of these unusual BRC Prototypes than what Bill Spears, who has written extensive about Bantams and early Jeeps, wrote in a Hemmings Blog Comment about the Checker:
The Checker ‘episode’ is still one of the great mysteries of the jeep story and I cannot figure out for the life of me why…. In Kalamazoo it is widely assumed that the Checker was built there from Bantam plans. Karl Pobst’s notes indicate that he did indeed send Checker the blue prints in three installments (and I would REALLY like to get my hands on those and I suspect they are still at Checker) but, my information is that three jeeps, two of them four wheel steering, were sent to Checker from Butler and they arrived in boxes as for shipping overseas. There is nothing at all to indicate in the Checker I had that it differed in anyway from a regular Bantam BRC. All the parts cast with Bantam numbers etc. However all the jeeps were completely disassembled for reverse engineering as it were to try to cost out the job. The parts were all put in a pile, then the cars were reassembled without regard for which parts went were. Thus, my car had a 4 wheel steer column, but it was two steer. One was sent to the Army and wrecked in testing.The car at the Gilmore still belongs to the Stout family I believe. Jim Stout, who knew what he was doing restored the car, but in a way tried to disguise it, and it sat in the Checker lobby for years as a Kalamazoo built car. I think Stout made an interesting contribution in making it possible to turn OFF the 4 wheel steering feature, but, the 4 steers were never really produced. If anyone has any information or leads I would sure appreciate hearing about it.
I found some good images of the “Checker” at the Gilmore museum from remarkablecars.com:
Bill Spears has an extensive discussion about Checker and Bantam with images:
https://wmspear.com/Bantam/excker.html
The olive-drab.com site also has some archival images and information on the Checkers:
http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_bantam_checker.php
The Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles is located at 606 Heartland Road in Lexington, Nebraska (just off I-80). What this means is that I drove right by it, 15 years ago, and didn’t know it was there; However, at the time, we were traveling with 3 vehicles, in-laws, a 6 week old baby boy, 2 cats, and a everything we owned. The trip was a 3 day move from the moraines of Madison, Wisconsin, to the mountains of SLC, Utah.
Given all the factors and distractions, I suppose it wasn’t the best time to stop at a museum. However, we did stop when the rear tire blew out on the motorhome I was driving somewhere in the middle of Nebraska. Now, I didn’t know this was the rear tire when the explosion rocked the motorhome at 65 mph. No, I was pretty sure a crack opened in the middle of the highway and the devil himself had grabbed a hold of the rear axle, attempting to pull us all to the depths of Hades. It wasn’t until I slowed (perhaps screeched) to a stop that I came to my senses (an started breathing again) and realized that it was only a tire. My next step was to clean up my pants.
Importantly, it wasn’t just a tire that blew, because something was opened by the blast …. a hole in the wheel well. Though we didn’t realize the hole was there, the cats did. So, in the middle of the night, after a long day of driving, with everyone asleep, those dumb Wisconsin farm cats (Dodger and Tucker) snuck outside (by opening one of the kitchen cabinet doors near the floor and then sneaking out the hole in the wheel well). At about 2 am, one of our cats (Dodger) started crying outside the motorhome waking us all up. It took all my effort not to strangle Dodger; the other cat, Tucker, didn’t reappear until we were packed up and ready to abandon him. By then we were actually happy to see him.
Yes, that was not a good time to visit what appears to be a fine Museum, with over 100 military vehicles of all kinds. So, just a tip, leave the cats and all your stuff at home. Here are some pics of what you’ll see.
From Dieselpowermag.com is this cool image which includes a MB SlatGrille and a M-38A1:
I can’t remember where I found this image … oops.
From the Unwanted Blog, come these images of a M-38A1, a Schwimmwagen, and a Kubelwagen:
According to a report by Jim Allen in Offroad Adventures in 2005, there was a BRC-60 on loan to the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. This BRC-60 was donated to the Smithsonian back in 1944. It is the only known survivor of the first 70 BRC-60s (preceded by the BRC and followed by the BRC-40s) built by Bantam.
Anyone know if it is still there?
Here are two images from Jim Allen’s article:
And from a Belgium Jeep site comes this shot of a BRC-60
And I’m not sure where I found this …
This MB is located at the Cole Land Transporation Museum in Bangor, Maine, and has an interesting history. According to the museum’s website, “his 1945 jeep served with the U.S. Army during World War II in Europe. After the war, it was given to the French government (French nomenclature in still on the dashboard). It was rebuilt by the French, declared surplus, and shipped to Duryea Motors, Brockport, New York in 1982. Galen Cole purchased it for display in the Museum.
Perhaps its greatest claim to fame is that the mold for the Maine World War II Veterans Memorial, located on the Museum’s grounds, was formed around this jeep; therefore, the jeep that is the focus of the Memorial is an exact replica of this jeep. It was chosen as the symbol of WWII because personnel of all branches of the service during that war used jeeps-whether generals, admirals, or privates.”
I spent some time search for Jeeps in Museums today. I discovered that in 1996 a museum with some wwII jeeps closed and the jeeps were purchased and sent to Indiana. After a little searching, I am pretty sure these were bought by the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States (NATMUS), located in Auburn, Indiana. This appears to be a pretty sizeable museum with a great collection of both stock and modified vehicles.
Sorting through images at different sites, I did eventually find an image of a GP (to be published later) located at NATMUS. I sent them an email to see if I can get additional images and information (my emails to museums thus far have proven useless so far, with the exception of a gracious and quick response from the York Museum in PA).
One additional item I discovered while searching through some NATMUS images was this modified Willys Truck hidden in the background of a pic focused on the Popcorn Wagon (see pic to right). Fortunately, I could identify the website emblazoned on the windshield and, viola, I found some great pics of this vehicle to share.
This truck, called Silly Willy, was built by Wild Fire Manufacturing for 1st Attack (Jeffrey Cook is president of both companies). 1st Attack is a company that specializes in the development of offroad emergency vehicles. You might know Jeffrey Cook from his days as owner/driver of the Monster Truck War Wagon that toured nationally.
Here’s some pics of Silly Willy:
The WAAAM has only existed a few years, having first opened its doors in September of 2007, and already house one of the largest collections of flying antique aircraft and drivable antique automobiles in the country. The museum appears to house 5 Jeeps: 1 Slat Grille MB, 1 Red Cross(?) MB, 1 M-38, and a couple M-38A1s (one with a sizeable weapon for removing trees, rocks or buildings that happen to block your path).
According to their website, ” Our collections are housed in two giant hangars — which together total 95,000 square feet. In addition to our antique collections, these facilities house a reference library, classroom, meeting rooms, and a community events area. Three additional hangars, totaling 37,000 square feet, are set aside for restorations.”
I saw this and I had to post it. There are apparently a couple of these left in the South African War Museum. Due to their weight and the thin tire profile, these were poor offroad performers.
According to this website, “The British Army in India had a requirement for Armoured Cars for areas such as the North West frontier. A delegation was despatched to Britain to see what was on offer and particularly to look at the offerings from Rolls Royce as wartime models had performed well. As well as being expensive they surprisingly were unable to get over the gradient test on the cross country trial.
There was however also at the trials a 1 1/2 ton Crossley based on the chassis that had been intended for a Russian contract that came to nothing because of the Revolution. This was the chassis that was under consideration as a medium truck for India and eventually became the IGL1. It sailed through the trials and one was immediately purchased for an extended trial which consisted of loading it with 4 tons of ballast and driving 4000 miles round Britain. An order for 32 followed with bodies by Vickers. These were delivered in 1923 and a further order followed. Total deliveries were about 100.
All of these vehicles were fitted with solid tyres presumably to remove the risk of punctures but these were never very successful when used off road as their narrow profile inevitably led to the vehicle sinking up to its axles. Two of the armoured cars were also shipped to South Africa where the tyres also caused trouble and were eventually changed to pneumatic types. Both of these survive and are in the South African War Museum.”
