HOME | DD
RoadTripDog — Jeepers Creepers
Published: 2010-09-05 18:40:31 +0000 UTC; Views: 965; Favourites: 19; Downloads: 16
Redirect to original
Description
Here's your basic go anywhere do anything Jeep (I think this is an MB but it could be a later version, if you know for sure please comment) from WWII and decades after, until replaced by the Humvee.
Who can forget 'The Rat Patrol', the TV series where Christopher George flew over the sand dunes on - you are never really "in" those early Jeeps, you ride "on" them - with their machine guns blazing, harassing Captain Dietrich (Eric Braeden) and his boss Rommel.
A lovable little fellow, the Jeeps were quite rugged. Lightweight and small to go anywhere but they couldn't carry much and flipped over easily. Today's civilian Jeep is totally different but the original DNA is still evident in today's Jeep Wrangler. (Sorry to report, but the popular urban commuter Jeep with the dealer-installed machine gun option has been discontinued).
Related content
Comments: 10
I think the funniest Jeep scene from a movie was one with Bob Hope riding in the back of one of these
through the Army's 'test track.' They were going full speed (Classified) over some of the roughest terrain and Bob was doing everything he could to hold on.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Some of those old Bob Hope movies are hilarious! He was always getting put into some impossible situation but somehow he would get out of it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Hi h.
I remember ("...when dinosaurs still lived ...") when saying "Jeep" meant saying off-road !!!!
Just a question: does your pic shows exactly the "Willys"?
Greets h.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hello v
The original Jeep was designed by a company called American Bantam, but the government asked Willys-Overland Company to modify it and Willys made their engine (called the 'Go-Devil') the standard engine. The US government awarded the manufacturing contract to Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Company. Both companies built the vehicle from identical plans, so without inspecting the manufacturer's plate in the engine compartment I don't know which company built this one. But I will be going back to the museum and will try to find out.
After WWII, Ford was not interested in making the Jeep so Willys owned postwar production. Over time, Willys was sold to Kaiser Motors which was then bought by American Motors Corp. and AMC was purchased by Chrysler Corp. who are the present owners. The Jeeps sold today are very different from this little Jeep!
'When dinosaurs roamed the earth' is a little joke because I am older than most of the others on dA.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hi h.
As always your informations are very, very complete, I could say encyclopaedic 
I thought that "Willys" was a nickname for this vehicle (or for a limited serie of this vehicle). Now I know that it was a company-name.
thank you for your availability, for this information and for all the other ones.
Greets
R.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hi v,
Willys also made cars and the 1930-40s cars are in great demand to turn into custom hot rods because they are small and lightweight. Here's a photo of a Willys hot rod: [link]
Since it was low production (compared to Ford) there are not many available now and there are shops making replica bodies for hot rods.
Willys is pronounced "willis" (like the actor Bruce Willis). Many people here say "willeez" but that is incorrect.
Thank you for the compliment. I sometimes go overboard giving information, because I like to learn.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hi h.
I like your "going overboard".
Thanks a lot for these further informations.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Hooray!
I Love this Jeep!
A pitty that the few awailable here are too expensive
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
They are expensive here too. The collectors drove the prices up.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0