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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 is the first time I’ve heard the term Jeep applied to a prop storage box. This article appeared in the March 04, 1941, issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
This article was published in the October 26, 1941, issue of the Birmingham News.
This full page article published July 22, 1941, in Baltimore’s Evening Sun includes photos of Bantam BRC-60s and Ford GPs.
This is a second full-page article on the jeep, this time with two large photos in the May 04, 1941, issue of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
UPDATE: This article from August 28, 1941, published in the Daily News (New York City), describes the Bantam BRC-40 T2E1. This is the second generation of of the T2E1, (reportedly, the first generation of the T2E1 had a the full body, which itself was a derivation of the T2, an anti-tank jeep that had the gun between the seats; however, there apparently is some debate on how to define the versions).
Also mentioned below is the Ford Swamp Angel. I’ll have more info on that in an upcoming post.
This is a T2E1 from an angle I’ve never seen. It was published yesterday on the Quest Masters Museum Facebook page:
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Originally published May 31, 2020:
An article from 1941 appears to describe the T2E1 Bantams shown in photos below (a few more photos here also). The article describes the rifles as 47mm, while the photo captions correctly describe the rifle as a 37mm. Perhaps the difference is that the article was written in July, while the photos were taken late in August? So, maybe, 47mm rifles might have been initially considered? (47mm anti-tank guns were developed by France as early as 1931)
This article was published July 21, 1941, in the Lansing State Journal out of Michigan:
#1 Originally posted 01/31/2014:
This is likely a reprint, but still a good photo of the Bantam BRC-40 T2E1.
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#2 Posted August of 2018:
This first column describes seven different uses for the term ‘jeep’. It appeared in the November 15, 1941, issue of the News Journal, out of Mansfield, Ohio:
A few days later, this blurb was part of a column called the Daily Knave, published November 18, 1941. It highlights some of the alternative uses of the term “jeep”.
This photo and article featuring a Ford GP was published June 09, 1941, in the Democrat and Chronicle out of Rochester, New York. It highlighted Major Harry Miller’s jeep modification, which added a 37MM gun to the rear of the vehicle.
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Originally posted February 07, 2015: This post emphasized the Camp Lewis connection.
This June 9, 1941, article from the Spokane Daily Chronicle notes the Ford GP belongs to a Fort Lewis unit visiting California for maneuvers.
From this page: https://www.facebook.com/SphinxShrinersMotorPatrol/
Here are a couple 1960s photos of the Shriner Mini Jeep Patrols. These jeep patrols and shiners in all kinds of mini-vehicles still ply the parade routes (This Facebook group includes modern photos and videos of them).
This first photo is from May 12, 1963, and published in the Marshall News Messenger (Marshall, Texas):
This second photo was published in the Tyler Morning Telegraph (Tyler, Texas) on December 07, 1963:
And here’s a 2007 video of them in action:
This article demonstrates the hazards a jeep faced in the field. The article was published December 16, 1943, in the Kansas City Times by Kenneth L. Dixon.
This November 25, 1946, article in the Salt Lake Tribune highlighted the first big test for the Sheriff Office’s new CJ-2A. Lacking today’s causeway to Antelope Island, the trip required often navigating over or through water. I can imagine such a drive was a big unnerving, unless a route was marked by marker-sticks. Today, the southern portion of the island is owned by the State of Utah. Bison, Sheep, and Antelope roam the island, as do bikers, hikers, and tourists.
