This article on the Ford “Pygmy” was published in the March 1941 issue of Popular Mechanics. You’ll note there is no reference to the vehicle being called a “GP” (though, to be fair, the term GPW never appears in the magazine either), nor is there a reference to it being “General Purpose”.
Old Images Research Archives
Walt Disney Driving a “Lefty” CJ-2A
These photos popped up one Facebook recently, likely pulled from the Just A Car Guy blog. I believe these were originally from some kind of video of Disney driving, because I was able to find an animated gif on Pinterest of the same event. I could not locate the original video, but I’m sure it is digitized and out there on the net somewhere …
Photo of Slat Grille Jeep Being Loaded onto Plane on eBay
No date on this photo of a Slat Grille MB being loaded onto a plane.
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“Press Photo Military personnel watch Jeep being loaded on aricraft. This is an original press photo. Military personnel — Jeep – aircraftPhoto measures 10 x 8inches. Photo is dated –NONE.”
1944 Photo of Jeeps in Mud Advancing on Germany
This photo of a couple jeep maneuvering through mud and over a series of logs was published in the October 14, 1944, issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Coast Guard’s Miracle Jeep aka Invader Jeep
The Coast Guard’s “Invader Jeep” (with photos here and photos/article/film here) was apparently also called the “Miracle Jeep”. The designer was Chief Petty Officer Charles D. Benjamin.
For starters, this short news reel clip has a reference to it in the Descriptive Log as a Miracle Jeep: https://www.historicfilms.com/tapes/14555_1773.97_1798 . Here’s a screen shot:
The March 18, 1944, issue of the Dayton Herald refers to the Coast Guard Super jeep as a “Miracle Jeep” as well:
The June 25, 1944, issue of the Indianapolis Star also refers to the jeep as the “Miracle Jeep”.
Valentine Welder & Mfg Co. Lightweight Jeep Prototype Photos
Nick Oxander found and shared these photos on Facebook. It appears this lightweight prototype was manufactured by the Valentine Welder & Manufacturing Company; yet, this same vehicle has been credited in other places, such as Hemmings and on eWillys, as the KEL Kaiser extra-light jeep. Anyone have an insight into this conundrum?
1963 Article on AZ Search and Rescue Meeting Fashion Show
The Maricopa County Jeep Posse held the 4th Annual National Jeep Search and Rescue convention in 1963. As part of the event, wives and daughters of the Maricopa County Jeep Posse planned to pose as models for a pool-side fashion show. They would model clothes from the Scottsdale Wigwam. I can’t speak for the Scottsdale outlet, but I am just old enough to remember our local Wigwam store and ‘fashionable’ isn’t a word I’d use to describe it. It was more like the precursor to the Dollar Store.
1954 Photo Willys Project Engine eBay
Is this some kind of diesel engine? This photo comes with a second photo of a fluid cargo carrier.
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“Here I have a set of 2 Willys File Photos featuring:
* PROJ. 8511-01 T.C.P. Engine Number 14371 (1) Dated 5-28-54
* Fluid Cargo Carrier
Photos measure about 8 ½ x 11 inches including the borders and are punched. Punch holes do NOT affect the photos (See Scans).

Here’s the Fluid Cargo Carrier photo:
1966 Photo of M-38A1 w/ Mine Detector on eBay
This M-38A1 press photo with a mine detector made it into a lot of newspapers. Here’s an example from the April 20, 1966, issue of the Crowley Post-Signal out of Crowley, Louisiana:
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“1966 Press Photo U.S. Army jeep mounted mine detector shown in St. Louis. This is an original press photo. St. Louis: New mobile mine detector perfected for Vietnam will allow the jeep mounted detector to clear 6 foot path at speeds from 10 to 1 mph depending on terrain. The transistorized probe is counterbalanced by large spring in front of jeep to prevent the wheels of the device from exerting enough pressure to set off a mine. On detection of mine the device automatically brakes and declutches the jeep. The mine detector was demonstrated at United States Army Mobility Equipment Center in St. Louis 4/19.Photo measures 9 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 04-19-1966.”
1948 Article on Utah Reserve Training Center’s Rescue Jeep
This February 29, 1948, article in the Salt Lake Tribune describes Utah Reserve Train Center’s rescue jeep, describing how it works with the new mobile radar truck.
1969 Photo of Albany Rescue Jeep on eBay
I couldn’t locate a corresponding photo of this in a newspaper. The rig looks interesting.
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“1969 Press Photo Rescue Jeep for Albany Police Department, New York. This is an original press photo. Rescue Jeep for Albany Police Department, New York. Police garage. Photo measures 9 x 7inches. Photo is dated 08-07-1969.
Steve McQueen and CJ-5 Photos
Steve shared this link to an article on Con-Ferr, which also had links to the McQueen archive. (I thought I had shared this archive of Steve McQueen and his CJ-5 Super Jeep at some earlier point, but it appears I hadn’t.) There are more details and pics of the build in the 1970 Con-Ferr Catalog… See pages 48-51 on this post: http://www.ewillys.com/2019/10/02/1970-con-ferr-catalog-pages-43-96/
Here’s the article from Steve: https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/08/con-ferr-incorporated-in-burbank-made.html
Here’s the McQueen album: https://archiveimages.com/licensing/public-gallery.php?id=441&pageNum_rsImages=7




























