Willys Military Jeep
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In July 1941, the US War Department awarded Willys a contract to produce a small agile 4wd vehicle that the army so desperately needed. Willys won the contract mostly due to its powerful engine (the "Go Devil"), which soldiers raved about, and it’s low cost and silhouette. The design features in the Bantam and Ford entries which represented an improvement over Willys' design were then incorporated into the Willys car, moving it from an "A" designation to "B", thus the "MB" nomenclature. Most notable was a flat wide hood, adapted from Ford GP.
Manufactured in 1944 this Jeep went to Germany with the US Army and ended up in Berlin. It stayed there until July 1955 at which point it was refurbished by Deutsche Waggon-U. Maschinen Fabriken and sold to the Greek army: it spent 20 years in dry storage which I think has contributed to its excellent condition. In 1975 it was sold by the Greek army and was purchased by a farmer in Kent where it remained until it was sold by executors of his estate in 1989. I bought the Jeep in 2012 from its most recent owner in Dorset.
The Jeep was the best I came across after years of searching. It's in very original condition unlike most of the others I saw which were either very rough, or had been 'over-restored'. It retains its original 6v electrics and foot button starter. All the canvas is in very good order. It steers straight (better than most Land Rovers I've driven!) and the gearbox, high/low box and four-wheel drive engage really well. The chassis is sound and rot-free. It wears the insignia of the 11th Armoured Division which are not original, but there because of a personal connection the previous owner had with that division.
The Bantam T-3 trailer that accompanies the Jeep was manufactured by the American Bantam Car Company. They were awarded the contract to produce a ¼ ton trailer for the Jeep, having lost the contract to build the Jeep that they helped to design. These trailers were designed to float, although the 6v electrics would probably have never worked again!
About Aston Workshop
Aston Workshop is an independent Aston Martin specialist located on Red Row Estate, an idyllic 37 acre venue set in the North East countryside. Red Row is located in County Durham, only 2 miles away from Beamish Museum, one of the North’s major tourist attractions. We offer a wide variety of contemporary Aston Martins for sale in our showroom including special editions, low mileage examples and high-performance models. Typically we have around 80 cars on-site at any given time. Additionally, we have an unrivalled selection of valuable heritage models which are rare and often rebuilt to bespoke specifications with discrete modern enhancements. Typically stocking fully restored examples, older restorations, drivers, 100% electric zero-emission EV conversions and even barn finds, our showroom is an unrivalled experience for the Aston Martin Enthusiast. We also build cars such as our DB4 GT Zagato recreations and our V8 Evolution 6.0.
Our sales showroom is supported by over 40 vastly experienced workshop staff working with a wide range of comprehensive in-house facilities including all aspects of Aston Martin diagnosis, repair, servicing and restoration to concours standards. Each member of our team works hard to ensure that we stay at the forefront of Aston engineering technology, Aston parts supply and full restorations including fixed-price services where applicable.
Our experienced team are also pleased to help and advise if you are a collector or seeking to purchase a car specifically for investment purposes.
The benefits of buying and selling with us include:
- Nationwide collection and delivery service on our own covered transporters
- Cars which are prepared by technicians working exclusively on Aston Martins
- Our own Aston Workshop Warranty
- A comprehensive customer service that truly works for the duration of ownership
- The confidence of dealing with a leading independent specialist established over 30 years
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