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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 .
As reported in this post, in 1962 the Tonka company launched the jeep models many of us owned as kids (and some of us still own as adults). It didn’t take long for Tonka to introduce specialized packaging as well. The August 1962 issue of Playthings Magazine highlighted three different Dispatcher Tonka Toys, with Hatari-themed boxes, that were for sale in the lobby of movie theaters while Hatari played in theatres.
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The article appeared on this page:
On June 24, 1941, a syndicated article claimed that friends of Ward Canaday said he was the father of the jeep:
The Windsor Star out of Ontario, Canada, published this article blurb on June 24, 1941.
This news didn’t sit well with friends and former employees of Frank H. Fenn, President of the American Bantam Car Co. They wasted no time, quickly countering the notion that Canaday was the jeep’s father by explaining via telegrams why Fenn was the real father of the “Jeep”.
On June 27th, 1941, the Press and Sun-Bulletin published the responses in the following column.
And, just for fun, here’s another example of a Bantam BRC photo, taken less than a week after it arrived at Holabird. The first Bantam Scout Car wasn’t a secret for very long!
Published by the Seminole Producer, Seminole, Oklahoma, October 07, 1940.
Fort Custer, Michigan, appears to have been a testing ground for Ford and Willys prototypes. Along with the articles below, there are press photos posted from years passed. You’ll also note that some of the press photos have captions that are printed identically, but pencil-marked up differently. It’s possible someone was selling those as originals when they may not have been.
Here’s an article and a photo showing a couple Ford GPs being run hard, originally printed in the March 09, 1941, issue of the Battle Creek Enquirer:
It didn’t take long for the offload vehicles to become a hit with soldiers. This article appears in the March 25, 1941, issue of the Detroit Free Press:
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And, just to set the record straight, at Fort Custer a jeep was a jeep and not a ‘peep’.
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These press photos have been gathered from older posts. First, a couple Willys MA photos from eBay:
This was posted on ebay in June 2017: “1942 Photo WW2 Era Fort Custer MI Versatile Jeep Military Push Ball Game Rare. You are bidding on an original Press Photo from a newspaper archive. The photograph measures 6×7 inches and is dated 9-25-1942.”
This May 17, 1961, ad that appeared in the Boston Glove for the Jeep Wagon has art that feels more like a late 1940s ad than a 1960s ad. On the same page as this ad was the photo at the bottom.
I’m not sure where I found this newspaper clipping, but Herbert Obadda had a bad day. No dachshund puppies were injured as a result!
The Ithaca Journal printed this ad on November 10, 1960. Long’s Motor Sales out of Ithaca, New York, paid for the ad. It features an FC-150 and a CJ-5, while also promoting the tv-series Maverick.
This September 28th, 1941, article covered the ‘cold shoulder’ given to American Bantam by War Department.
This issue has some good articles, from new dealers, to jeeps in media, to the Schreiders’ first big adventure in their Ford GPA, Tortuga, from the Arctic Circle to Argentina (opposite direction of yesterday’s adventure).
I find this ad from the June 22, 1964, issue of the Staunton Leader out of Staunton, Virginia, a good early example of a begining move from the jeep as a utility vehicle to it as a vehicle for outdoor recreation. Though the ad still focuses on the jeep as a way to get to these fun endeavors, it wasn’t too much longer before an inflection point where the jeep-journey itself was advertised as fun.
Remember that by 1964, Four Wheeler Magazine had been out for two years, a publication that helped spread the message and the hobby of four wheeling pursuits (clubs, jeeping, modifications, and racing).
I find it rewarding to find the backstories to folks see in the old photos like this. You can read Harry’s full biography here.
This photo published in the Jackson Advocate on June 22, 1946, was taken in Leghorn, Italy, and shows Harry and his wife Orlean together again after being separated during WWII. Born in Mississippi, in 1909, Harry rose to the rank of Major, serving in both WWII and the Korean War. A writer, editor and highly educated man, after spending time in Germany, France, Korea, California, Africa, and other places, he eventually returned to Mississippi, become the first black teacher at the Gulfport High School. He went on to win a variety of awards and was a member of a number of societies. Major Harry C. Tartt passed away in 2008, with Orlean preceding him.
