Willys Jeepster VJ

After the WWII the immensily useful Willys Jeep continued to be in production for civil purposes, but the Willys started to realise that a more upmarket version could appeal those who wanted a sort of luxury workhorse. In a way this can be already considered as SUV-oriented thinking, and the Jeepster VJ model that was introduced in 1948 showed some signs of a cross-over concept. The engine was a 2.2 litre 4 cylinder 63 BHP unit.

Surprisingly for an off-road derived vehicle, the Jeepster initially only had rear wheel drive, which really reduced the appeal to those who needed to do heavy work, but with a bit more comfort. This omission was later rectified, but the car never became the commercial success Willys had hoped for. When production ended in 1950 only 19,132 were made.

Shown is a 1948 VJ model, which participated in one of the supporting events related to the 2006 Concours d’Elegance at Palace Het Loo.

Woah! The first ever Chelsea Tractor!!!

I love those! I've actually tried looking for one to buy, but they're very rare and pretty expensive.

Actually the reason it was only RWD was because it was initially designed to appeal and sell to women, who it was thought wouldn't have any interest in going off-road anyway. When it didn't sell in huge numbers, the 4x4 was added as a semi-desperate ploy to attract men to the fold to. Too little, too late.

Henk, this was the car I learned to drive in, a 1948 model with the Kaiser HotHead (70 HP! :D ) engine. There was a 6 cyl version optional. Brooks Stevens of Studebaker and Excaliber fame did the design work and there was a facia upgrade in 1950. Of course, Stevens also designed refrigerators. :p My dad bought one to restore in 1960, paid $50 for it... and my start as a lackey began by lying on a creeper, scrubbing the underside with a wire brush. Each of my siblings drove it to high school in our turn. My older brother blew the engine up after getting it stuck at the beach, and I talked my dad into having Briggs Cunningham's shop in West Palm Beach drop a Ford 289 HiPo into it. It was fun, but really drove like a truck. Also, it rains alot here, and sidecurtains were a PITA.

The Jeepster name was revived for an all new model in 1966 but also only lasted a few years. At least 4X4 was part of the line.

The Caryall trucks have a cult status now, saw one sell at an auction earlier this year for $38,000!

[QUOTE=csl177]Henk, this was the car I learned to drive in, a 1948 model with the Kaiser HotHead (70 HP! :D ) engine. There was a 6 cyl version optional. Brooks Stevens of Studebaker and Excaliber fame did the design work and there was a facia upgrade in 1950. Of course, Stevens also designed refrigerators. :p My dad bought one to restore in 1960, paid $50 for it... and my start as a lackey began by lying on a creeper, scrubbing the underside with a wire brush. Each of my siblings drove it to high school in our turn. My older brother blew the engine up after getting it stuck at the beach, and I talked my dad into having Briggs Cunningham's shop in West Palm Beach drop a Ford 289 HiPo into it. It was fun, but really drove like a truck. Also, it rains alot here, and sidecurtains were a PITA.

The Jeepster name was revived for an all new model in 1966 but also only lasted a few years. At least 4X4 was part of the line.

The Caryall trucks have a cult status now, saw one sell at an auction earlier this year for $38,000![/QUOTE]

was it strong enough for a 289? looks like a very substantial hp increase;)

I need help identifying this part. It's a one-way valve, but I am not sure to which vehicle. My buddy thinks its from a vintage Jeep. Any ideas would help!:)

[IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/124613313@N08/14369880936/in/set-72157645113241814[/IMG]

[url="https://www.flickr.com/photos/124613313@N08/14369880936/in/set-72157645113241814"]IMG_4692 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/url]