Lot details
Registration No: YVL 658
Chassis No: 134612
Mot Expiry: Sept 2019

- Full professional restoration by H Engineering of Tunbridge Wells

- Totally correct in detail

- Most panels Ford stamped

- Fantastic original fitments and accessories

America's ubiquitous Jeep is synonymous with WWII, even though production didn't begin in earnest until 1942 - half way through the hostilities. The vehicle's evolution is complex, but resulted from the US army's approach to 135 American automotive manufacturers to submit designs for 'a general purpose personnel or cargo carrier especially adaptable for reconnaissance or command and designated as a ¼-ton 4x4 truck'. Willys won the resulting three-way tussle with Ford and Bantam, but by the Autumn of 1941 it was clear they could not satisfy demand, so Ford was tasked with manufacturing the vehicle in parallel. The Ford version was dubbed GPW (Government Passenger Willys) which, in contracted form, may have spawned the generic term Jeep (GP said slowly, sounds a bit like Jeep!), though there are other equally plausible explanations for the moniker. Weighing in at little more than a ton and equipped with a torquey L-headed 2.2-litre engine driving all four wheels via a three-speed manual box and two-speed transfer case, the tough, go anywhere Jeep did its job well, sparking a number of imitations - not least the original Land Rover. By the end of the war, close to _ million examples had been produced - 280,000 of which were manufactured by Ford. Many survive around the world and are regularly employed in film work, war games or for simply having fun.

The GPW now being sold is pretty special. In fact we'd go so far as to say it's the best example we have had the privilege to offer at auction. It has undergone a full body-off nut and bolt restoration, re-employing as many of the original components as possible - including: chassis, body tub, wings and combat rim road wheels, plus the correct and fully overhauled engine, gearbox and axles. The list of accompanying original wartime accessories has to be seen to be believed, so here goes:

- English airborne radio and accessories
- Dated fuel can
- Wartime shovel and pick axe
- Dated and complete under-dash first aid kit
- 1943 dated front screen cover
- Hull wartime compass
- Airborne rucksack
- Airborne binoculars
- Early deactivated 30 calibre machine gun and early cover
- Early deactivated Bren gun and wartime cover
- Early deactivated Thompson rifle and original clip holder mounted in its original wartime rifle holder
- Wartime under bonnet grease gun and oil can
- Full wartime GPW toolkit
- Wartime maps and holders
- Airborne helmet and ammo boxes