1929 Willys – A recent visit to Eddie Phillips place at Bororen gave the Gladstone Vintage and Classic car club members a chance to check out some of Eddies stationary Engines etc. In the back yard we came across these two 1929 Willys.
Eddie said the rest was in the shed , so we went and had a look.. Sure enough we came across a pile of bumpers mudguards, bits. What laid underneath this collection? We never looked.
Some Willy History The first Willys vehicles first appeared in 1909. John North Willys had rescued the Overland company a couple of years earlier . The early vehicles did not sell well, it would seem . J.N. Willys had a philosophy of prestige but the market place was looking for a more economical vehicle. Willys best know vehicle was the Willys jeep , the design was evolved through the Bantam car Company, but a lack of production facilities found willys with a contract to build the military version. Willys produced around 360,00 vehicles by 1945.
A good number of these jeeps are still to be found on our roads, and although an not overly comfortable little vehicle, they do have a history and are extremely collectable. Not to be ignored is that they are a great deal of fun go ‘most places’ vehicle.