1949 Willys Jeepster SUV

The Jeep was a very capable and adaptable vehicle in its original concept as a reconnaissance car during World War II. When war came to a close, Willys had produced nearly 363,000 of its final MB version, while Ford built almost 278,000 of the Willys-designed GPW (General Purpose Willys). General George C. Marshall even called the Jeep 'America's greatest contribution to modern warfare.'

After World War II, Willys based its civilian production on a series of Jeep-based vehicles. This required very little retooling and capitalized on the hundreds of thousands of returning military personnel who became very loyal to Jeep during their wartime service.

Brooks Stevens designed the two-door Jeepster Phaeton. It shared its chassis with the Jeep station wagon. It had an unmistakable Jeep-derived front end, a sporty design, and rakish cut-down doors that were inspired by the little roadsters spawned from the United Kingdom. The Jeepster was introduced on May 3rd of 1948, initially powered by the F-head 'Hurricane Four.' Beginning with the VJ-3 model in July 1949, the 72-bhp, L-head 'Lightning Six' was available for the Jeepster. Overdrive was optional.

This Willys Jeepster Phaeton is painted yellow and black with a matching interior. It is one of just 3,638 examples built in total for 1949. There are four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive, and the 'Lighting Six' L-head engine.

In 2011, this vehicle was offered for sale at the Hershey Auction presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $20,000 - $25,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the vehicle had been sold for the sum of $19,800 including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2011