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About eWillys
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.
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 .
“Size is 7.25″ x 8.5” We always combine shipping. Please wait for our invoice before paying. The photographs are Originals taken from file archives used by different news/media agencies. They are not perfect or reprints, if they are printed at a later time we labeled them “2nd Generation Restrike” or “Vtg 2nd Gen Restrike” The photographs are in various conditions, some cut to different sizes. Some may have dates and/or descriptions written/typed/stamped on the back or the front. They could have bent corners, tears or light stains.”
In the autumn of 1962, the Sun Carnival organization in El Paso, Texas, decided to add the Sun Carnival Jeep Derby, one of only four derby’s held in the US, to it’s late December events calendar (the other ‘derbies’ were held in Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, and Denver). The grand prize was a brand new 1963 CJ-5 donated by the Willys Manufacturing Company (I think they meant Willys Motors).
September 12, 1962, El Paso Times
Before being presented to the race winner, Carnival manage Bruce Brooks planned to use it by carnival staff to carry tickets between the four branch offices.
December 25, 1962, El Paso Herald-Post
Ted C. Brewer of Roswell, New Mexico, went on to win the Inaugural Sun Carnival Jeep Derby.
January 01, 1963, El Paso Times
The next year, the Sun Carnival volunteers put together another course. Continue reading →
This first article about the Phoenix Jeep Club was published on February 04, 1965, in the Arizona Daily Star. It gave some background information on the club, it’s family friendly attitude, and shared some of the good works the club performed.
This second article was published six months later on August 15, 1965, in the Arizona Republic. It discusses the work the club was doing to help fight the screw worm.
Buss Walker, the author of this July 28, 1959, article published in the Chattanooga Daily Times, learned an important lesson on his first attempt to jeep onto Walden’s Ridge: never jeep without tools. The lesson was learned and our intrepid travelers were more successful on their second attempt.
On September 11, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower introduced the People-to-People Program, “to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures.”
Two students out of Colorado University, Rolf Kjolseth, of Boulder, Colorado, and Andreas Kohlschutter, of Berne, Switzerland, decided to put Eisenhower’s idea into action by driving a jeep from the United States to Rio De Janeiro, where they planned to sell the jeep and return to the United State by ship. Along the way, they hoped to meet people from all walks of life. They called their jeep “Columbus II”.
June 24, 1957, Albuquerque Journal
The trip was sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency and the Pan American Union. The two young men were supposed to write about their trip and send their stories to several newspapers, but I can’t find any articles with their by-lines. They even had their photo take with then Vice President Richard Nixon on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, but I haven’t located a copy of that yet.
June 13, 1957, Greeley Daily Tribune
According to multiple reports, the intrepid explorers drove their early CJ-5 south from Laredo, Texas, through Mexico, into Central America and, probably via boat, made it to South America. The photos below show the pair in Colombia.
November 11, 1957, The Marion Star, Marion, Ohio,
I could not locate any information following their stop in Colombia.
At the very least, Rolf made it back to Colorado, becoming an associate professor at the University of Colorado from 1971-2011. I don’t know if Rolf is alive or not, but he does have an email address associated with UC. Whether he monitors it or not, I couldn’t say, but I sent him an email. Hopefully someone will respond.
This August 10, 1960, article in the Daily Sentinal out of Grand Junction highlights Ouray and briefly mentions the jeep tours available. You’ll note the tour-jeep in the pic in the upper left photo.
This July 30, 1961, article shared the news that the Las Cruces Jeep Club planned to allow non-racers a chance to drive the ‘Jeepathon’ race track before the racers got a chance to race. The photos show Carol McDonald checking the jeep and the track. I wish the photos were clearer. I’m guessing she was a Las Cruces Jeep Club member?
An October 11, 1960, article in Grand Junction’s ‘The Daily Sentinel’ introduced many readers to Colorado’s newest industry: Jeep Tourism.
From the article, “Now, for the first time in history, the ordinary tourist and visitor can within a day’s time see some of the nation’s real back country.”
This photo and article appeared in the April 16, 1943, issue of the Los Angeles Times. Kids at the State Street School sold enough war bonds ($12,773) to purchase 14 jeeps, so the Army sent 5 jeeps to the school’s field.
Natalie Mastavoi is pictured climbing into the jeep. She was the first pupil that got to sit in it. Help her into it is Sgt. Louis Gade. Principlal Frank Wells and Mrs. T.D. Harrington of the local P.T.A. are standing to the right of the jeep. I tried to find out more about the young girl and the Sargent, but had no luck.
These two article show how quickly the Auburn Jeep Club’s annual trek to Tahoe grew in size. The Auburn Jeep Club was founded in 1951 and it’s first trip to Lake Tahoe via Wentworth Springs included seven jeeps and twenty participants. By 1953, reservations were required. By 1956 it had grown to 33 jeeps and 116 people.
