First Friday car show with Andrew's WWII 1944 MB Jeep /

Описание: First Friday classic car meet 6 Feb 2026. I once again brought my 1983 Datsun 280zx Turbo to this event when I bumped into Andrew again (happens quite a bit in the car shows in this town :) ) with his beautifully restored 1944 WWII Willys MB Jeep. Andrew spent a lot of time and research to restore this jeep to it's original war time configuration as it is an actual military model used in the European theatre during the war. Enjoy this time capsule video.

Historical data on the Willy's MB follows:

The Willys MB 4×4, command reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, and sometimes referred to by its Standard Army vehicle supply number G-503, were highly successful American off-road capable, light military utility vehicles. Well over 600,000 were built to a single standardized design, for the United States and the Allied forces in World War II, from 1941 until 1945. This also made it the world's first mass-produced four-wheel-drive car, built in six-figure numbers.

The 1⁄4-ton jeep became the primary light, wheeled, multi-role vehicle of the United States military and its allies. With some 640,000 units built, the 1⁄4‑ton jeeps constituted a quarter of the total military support motor vehicles that the U.S. produced during the war, and almost two-thirds of the 988,000 light 4WD vehicles produced, when counted together with the Dodge WC series. Large numbers of jeeps were provided to U.S. allies, including the Soviet Union at the time. Aside from large amounts of 11⁄2- and 21⁄2‑ton trucks, and 25,000 3⁄4‑ton Dodges, some 50,000 1⁄4‑ton jeeps were shipped to help Russia during WWII, against Nazi Germany's total production of just over 50,000 Kübelwagens, the jeep's primary counterpart.

Historian Charles K. Hyde wrote: "In many respects, the jeep became the iconic vehicle of World War II, with an almost mythological reputation of toughness, durability, and versatility." It became the workhorse of the American military, replacing horses, other draft animals, and motorcycles in every role, from messaging and cavalry units to supply trains. In addition, improvised field modifications made the jeep capable of just about any other function soldiers could think of. Military jeeps were adopted by countries all over the world, so much so that they became the most widely used and recognizable military vehicle in history.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War II, wrote in his memoirs that most senior officers regarded it as one of the five pieces of equipment most vital to success in Africa and Europe. General George Marshall, Chief of Staff of the US Army during the war, called the vehicle "America's greatest contribution to modern warfare." In 1991, the MB Jeep was designated an "International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark" by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

After WWII, the original jeep continued to serve, in the Korean War and other conflicts, until it was updated in the form of the M38 Willys MC and M38A1 Willys MD (in 1949 and 1952 respectively), and received a complete redesign by Ford in the form of the 1960-introduced M151 jeep. Its influence, however, was much greater than that—manufacturers worldwide began building jeeps and similar designs, either under license or not—at first primarily for military purposes, but later also for the civilian market. Willys turned the MB into the civilian Jeep CJ-2A in 1945, making the world's first mass-produced civilian four-wheel drive. The "Jeep" name was trademarked and grew into a successful and highly valued brand.

More details and history can be found below.

Sourced: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willys_MB