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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 .
This April 25th, 1942, photo appeared in the News-Palladium out of Benton Harbor, Michigan.
UPDATE: In late September and early October of 1952, the press photo at bottom, along with the caption seen in the newspaper clipping below, appeared in newspapers across the country. However, I could not locate any associated story. There’s no mention of it being a Hy-Rail.
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Originally Posted November 30, 2017: Given the article above, the date of the photo below was either misread as 1953 or was a reprinted photo for 1953. The original photo was taken at least by September of 1952.
“1953 Press Photo L&N Railroad Vintage Jeep Rail & Road Vehicle. You are bidding on an original press photo of L&N Railroad Vintage Jeep Rail & Road Vehicle. Photo measures 8 x 10 inches and is dated 5/4/1953.”
View all the information on eBay
This same photo of a Hy-Rail also appeared in Mechanix Illustrated, February 1953, p.93.
UPDATE: This was up for auction last year in 2018 and 2019. Starting price dropped to $1600 with the auction scheduled for Friday, June 18th (Today).
I’m surprised to see no bow holders. Looks like the dash plate in a long, single one, and I see no column shift. I’d say this was a mid 1946 or later photo.
https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/lot_0E841DDA64
“Description: Hugo Brehme (German/Mexican, 1882 – 1954). “Willys Jeep”. Super grand mammoth vintage silver gelatin print. c1945. Printed c1945. Photographer credit on verso. Two photographic sheets joined together and mounted. Fair to good condition; some staining and surface scuffs and scratches, most of which can be mitigated or eliminated with conservation. Frame size: 64 x 86 in. (1626 x 2184 mm). Image size: 60 1/2 x 81 1/2 in. (1537 x 2070 mm). A huge photograph, approximaely 5 feet high by 7 feet wide. An advertisement for Willys Jeep in Mexico. The sign next to the Jeep reads New or old you can always rely on your Willys Jeep [Nuevo o viejo ud. siempre puede confiar en su jeep Willys]. PLEASE NOTE this photograph is mounted on board and is very heavy”
These original 8×10 photos were taken, I imagine, during an interview of President Ronald Reagan by Walters.
UPDATE: It turns out that the U-Drive business first started right after the war continued into the 1960s, as this article from the June 1960 issue of the Honolulu Star-bulletin points out:
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Original Published October 20, 2020: A March 29, 1946, article highlighted a Jeep U-Drive business that opened in Honolulu. The first surplus jeeps sold could only be bought for business use by veterans. Roy L. Mongeon, from Hampton, Massachusetts, who was stationed in Hawaii, decided to purchase twenty jeeps. After a number of soldiers asked to drive his jeeps, he decided to open a jeep rental business.
UPDATE: This post was originally published din 2014. Since then, I learned more about Ted, but had spread it out across various posts. Ted’s trips, and his subsequent movies, have been added to this post.
First Published November 2014: In 1955, Theodore Bumiller set out for an around-the-world adventure in a Willys Wagon. He captured his trip in photos and video. I attempted to learn more about his trip, but I only learned that his daughter is now a noted author (maybe someone else will have more luck). I emailed her to learn more about her father’s adventures, but have yet to receive a reply.
Following the trip, Ted made his first film: a 30 minute movie titled “Around The World By Jeep”. He traveled around exhibiting it. The ad below, published in the January 3rd, 1970, edition of the Toledo Blade shows he was still touring and showing his film fifteen years after he’d made his trip.
Anyone ever seen the movie?
In the late 1950s, Ted created a second movie: “The Four Seasons of Scandinavia”, an exploration of the four seasons in Scandinavian countries. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t have anything to do with jeeps.
This article from the April 15, 1959, issue of The Sun (out of Stark County, Ohio) explains more:
Ted’s daughter Elizabeth wrote a book and included an acknowledgement to Ted and his wife Ruth Ann for teaching her how to travel and for inspiring her to explore the world. In it she mentions a third film by Ted, “Eternal India”.
This photo shows a CJ-2A with a Worman hardtop.
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“5” x 3 1/2″ picture from around 1948. The Willys logo on the jeep is blurry in the picture.”
This December 06, 1958, article in the Tulare Advance Register highlights the Tulare County Four-Wheel Drive Club with pics and text. It’s not a club that I recognize, but the club was pivotal to the formation of the California Association of Jeeps Clubs in 1959 (later known as the California Four Wheel Drive Association). I tried to find a club logo or sticker, but couldn’t locate any example.
Here’s the 1958 article (spliced for easier viewing):
This in-depth article on the use of jeeps and planes includes a variety of photos. It appeared in the April 08, 1951, issue of the Nevada State Journal.
This Hawaiian rental DJ-3A Gala looks great shape.
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“You are looking at an original Kodachrome slide featuring a young woman posing for a picture with a pink Willys Jeep tour vehicle while on a trip to Hawaii in 1963.”
