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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 July 28, 1973, article in the Longview Daily News shares information on the rising number of jeep clubs in the Longview area. I figured the text would be easier to read if I posted it separately at bottom. The CJ-5 on the upper left is running the recently introduced Desert Dogs.
This June 29, 1946, photo in the Daily Advertiser shows off an early MB conversion into a Louisiana Forestry Jeep. Developed by the Louisiana Foresty Commission, the state purchased five of these rigs.
The Weekly Town Talk out of Alexandria, Louisiana, also ran the photo on the same day, but with a different caption:
This article shows FDR in jeeps. It was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune February 02, 1943.
The April 27, 1944, article in the Star Tribune out of Minneapolis argues that Ford, GM, and Chrysler did not believe the post-war jeep would be as successful as hoped, due to (1) the hard suspension and (2) a lack of appeal to the “woman of the family”. It seems they were right to be wary from a family perspective, but the big three didn’t foresee the wagons, which attempted to address both of these issues.
This photo captures three friends traveling from Hawaii to the midwest via Minnesota. Akira Tanaka, sitting in the driver’s seat, helped establish the military intelligence company that was part of Camp Savage in Minnesota.This was published in the September 16, 1946, issue of The Minneapolis Star.
I tried to learn more about these three, but didn’t have much luck. There was an Akira Tanaka that went to work for General Motors and built himself a home that was featured in a 1955 article in the Detroit Press. So, it’s possible that he graduated from College in Michigan, then went to work for GM. If that’s the case, he developed several automotive patents for the company.
A side photo of Smiley, John Henkels ‘new’ Ford GP.
The January 30, 1944, Sunday issue of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune made John Henkels and his son front page news for the purchase of their 1941 Ford GP from Wilensky’s auto parts. What a cold drive back to Fulda, Minnesota, that must have been!
The article shares information on why the GI’s had to use jeeps on the tracks and the dangers they faced. The photo is from a later newspaper.
January 31, 1945, in the Evening Sun, Baltimore, Maryland.
From the Tucson Daily Citizen, October 23, 1944:
A variety of newspapers announced on March 09, 1943, that Ford would being producing Ford GPA (SEEPS) at its production plant in Detroit.
On February 11, 1945, the Pittsburgh Press shared the news that Ireland had ruled that the word Jeep could not be trademarked there. There were two reasons for that decision: 1) the word had not been stamped on the vehicle(s) and 2) the term ‘Jeep’ had fallen into public domain as a result of usage.
Both concerns seem valid. Even today, there’s confusion around the brand in terms of Willys vs. Jeep. However, one could argue that both issues were the result of Willys-Overland’s effort to win a war, thus the company sacrificed normal naming (in terms of vehicle models), advertising, and trademarking issues. So, why should they be penalized?
On December 06, 1949, New York Artist and former Gallery owner Elenore Lust drove her WWII jeep into Capetown, completing a 13,000 mile trek from France to South Africa. Their trek took them across ten countries. During one long stretch in the Sahara Desert she and her husband Paul Koston, who didn’t know how to drive, had to spread wire mesh on the sand, drive atop it, then roll it up, move it to the front of the jeep, then drive forward again, a process they repeated many times.
Unfortunately, I could not locate a photo of her and her jeep, but I was able to find a photo and an obit, which shared that after teaching art in South Africa, she returned to the US and began teaching art in Pennsylvania up until her death.
This article from the December 07, 1949, issue of New York’s Daily News provides some details about the trip.
Here’s the only photo of Elenore I could find. It was printed in the June 08, 1988, issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Her obituary was published in the April 24, 1997, issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
The Tribune newspaper out of Coshocton, Ohio, shared this photo and caption on the May 24, 1953. It shows three-year-old Terry Schley driving a model Jeepster his father built for him. It includes a feature that auto braked when the foot is lifted from the accelerator.
This 1950 photo from the Gateway to Oklahoma History archives shows Roy Fisher’s jeep dealership. His dealership was active between 1946 and 1950 in Oklahoma City, OK. It was sold about the time this May 1950 photo was taken. Note the CJ-2A Fire Jeep in the second story window. The vintage Willys sign with the drop “J” logo is cool as well.
Here are a few ads from the Roy Fisher Willys ‘Jeep’ dealer era.
January 05, 1950, Daily Oklahoman.
Here is the sale announcement from the May 25, 1950, issue of the Miami News-Record out of Miami, Oklahoma:
