1945 Ford Willys Jeep

Imported for the first UK keeper’s 21st birthday, ‘9285 WB’ must have made quite an impression because he went on to keep it for the next 57 years.

Our seller bought the Jeep in 2018 to take part in the Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society’s 75th D-Day celebrations. He did it and enjoyed it so much that instead of selling the Jeep, which had been his original plan, he kept it to use on the 80th anniversary memorial, during which he covered 1,600 trouble-free-miles – while towing a trailer.

Still sitting on its original chassis, albeit with a replacement tub, the Jeep has been rewired, wears new military-spec tyres, and has had a mechanical overhaul that included a new engine and clutch, a rebuilt gearbox and transfer box, and an overhauled braking system.

Clearly the sort of vehicle that becomes a much-loved member of the family, we can see this delightful old fella drawing an awful lot of interest.

The body tub was replaced thirty years ago and, incredibly, it was fitted to the original chassis. In great shape, it’s been enhanced with decals and emergency equipment including a Jerry can, shovel and axe, and a fire extinguisher, all of which help make up for the lack of doors.

In fact, the only bodywork above the waistline is the windscreen. Which makes this the perfect vehicle to get around this winter, allowing you to flex your inner Bear Grylls while your soft neighbours sip a de-caff skinny latte and rue the fact their heated steering wheel is taking so long to warm up.

As you can see, the roof is new. Rudimentary but new. Best to think of it as an umbrella rather than a roof. Y’know, like the folk in a Caterham do. Even so, it provides some protection from the elements and helps make the Jeep exactly the right sort of vehicle to keep you mobile during the forthcoming snow. Just keep a Thermos of hot coffee to hand, eh?

Not for you, of course, because you’re tougher than that. No, it’s for the folk who’ve been shivering in their stranded car, the car you’re about to tow out of the snow-filled ditch using the military towing pintle at the back. Or the Forth Bridge-like front bumper. The Jeep gives you options, you see.

And while the boys in the Defenders will spend ages faffing about with their new-fangled kinetic recovery ropes, you can tie a bowline in the hemp rope that’s wrapped around the front bumper before they’ve decided whether to use a soft shackle or metal one.

There are also four handles on the rear so you can tow your mates around on skis.

If #beachlife is more your thing then the roof will stop your red-headed mates getting sunburned, and the fire extinguisher is perfectly positioned for when you’ve finished cooking in the barbeque you dug in the sand using your handy-dandy shovel.

Safety has been improved with the installation of indicators front and rear. This is very sensible.

But then this is a very sensible vehicle because the 16-inch steel wheels are fitted with MRF NDMS 6.0-16 LT military bar grip tyres, a beefy crossply that’s ideally suited for applications like this. With a tread depth that makes the B.F. Goodrich AT looks like a racing slick, if you get stuck then that’s on you and not the Jeep.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

We’ve only got 18 shots of the interior because, well, there isn’t much of that either.

But what there is is excellent. The seats are new, for example, and while they don’t provide much in the way of lateral support the Jeep isn’t going to be pulling big Gs around your local roundabout anyway.

Other than that, you’ve got a huge, spindly steering wheel, three metal levers sprouting out of the floor to control the gearbox, transfer ‘box, and four-wheel-drive system, and a handbrake that comes out of the dashboard.

There are no fewer than three brass plates on the dashboard that act in lieu of a handbook (squaddies don’t read handbooks; well, the American ones don’t anyway…) and five instruments that relay information on speed, fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and alternator charge.

Those in the back had better be good mates; while the rear seat is (relatively) plushly padded, it is narrow.

The engine is new, and it’s joined to the rebuilt gearbox and transfer ‘box via a new clutch. Other fettling between the 75th and 80th anniversary runs – the seller’s an engineer, you see, and chaps like that can’t help but pull things apart to see if they can make them better – saw the braking and steering systems rebuilt, a new propshaft, springs, and Monroe dampers fitted, the dynamo replaced with an alternator (the old parts have been retained), and the vehicle rewired.

The result is a Jeep that “drives better than it would have done when it was new”. As you can see, it also starts on the button, idles perfectly, and revs freely.

The underside is as clean as you’re ever likely to find on a vehicle that’s in regular use. Solid and nicely painted, a quick splash with a pressure washer now and then should be all that’s needed to keep it looking this good.

The new engine is ridiculously clean too, as are the ancillaries and the engine bay. The owner is clearly a man who takes a pride in keeping his Jeep running and looking its best.

The history file contains a V5 registration document showing one previous UK keeper, a vast array of expired MoT certificates dating back to the 1970s, a file of old invoices, some photographs, and a clear RAC Vehicle History Check.

The Jeep has just had a fresh MoT on the 9th October 2024

Our seller was made to feel as welcome at the Goodwood Revival as he was as part of the convoy in France – and tells us that if the Jeep has a fault, it’s that everyone wants to stop and chat about it!

Running beautifully and very nicely presented, our guide price of somewhere between £14,000 and £19,000 seems like a small price to pay to unlock this amount of fun.

And it’s not as if it’s going to depreciate at the sort of unholy rate a new car would either, is it?

You could also service and maintain it yourself, further easing the financial burden. Which means out-posing your neighbour in their PCP-financed SUV will never be more affordable.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. To arrange an appointment to view this vehicle please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.