World War Two jeep with an Austrian history!

The ingenious simplicity and four-wheel-drive allowed this indestructible vehicle to make an extremely valuable contribution to the victorious advance of the Allied troops. Willys continued to produce a jeep in a civvy street version after the war, licensing its production to Hotchkiss/F and Mitsubishi/J. This compact off-road vehicle therefore became the epitome of an entire automobile category, commonly known as the ‘Jeep’. Today the cars that ‘experienced’ the war are particularly coveted.

This Willys Jeep experienced and survived the Second World War. Unlike many of its siblings, it did not end up with the Austrian army once the occupying forces had withdrawn. Instead it was given a red paint job and provided faithful service as a command vehicle for the district fire department in Leibnitz. It moved to the other end of Styria in 1952, to the voluntary fire department in St. Georgen ob Murau. In the meantime it had been given a fixed roof produced by the Lohner factories in Vienna. Although deregistered in 1964, it was not actually decommissioned until 1992, when it was sold to an enthusiast who restored it lovingly to its original condition, gave it a new heart and even drove the jeep in vintage car rallies. The NBA changed hands again some ten years later. The Willys Jeeps helped to end the deadliest conflagration of the 20th century, and this one even extinguished a few more fires later on. It has truly earned its status as a vintage car!

VIN: GBW54232 Milage: 559 mls (read) Displacement: 2,198 ccm/R4 Gearbox: 3-speed Colour: army green/green (fabric) Power: 60 hp Papers: Austrian individual approval