As you may be aware, the Bantam Reconnaissance Car is the original Jeep based vehicle. On July 11, 1940 the USA Army was fully involved in World War 2. They sent out a tender that was to be received by July 22, only 11 days later! Manufacturers were given 49 days to submit their first prototype and 75 days for completion of 70 test vehicles. The Army’s Ordnance Technical Committee specifications were equally demanding: the vehicle would be four-wheel drive, have a crew of three on a wheelbase of no more than 75 (later 80) inches and tracks no more than 47 inches, feature a fold-down windshield, 660 lb payload and be powered by an engine capable of 85 ft·lbf (115 N·m) of torque. The most daunting demand, however, was an empty weight of no more than 1300 lb (590 kg)…

Funny, I thought duct tape was a four wheelers best friend! Well, it turns out that according to photos in this obvious promotional stint, that scotch tape works wonders as well!

I do not have much information, but I believe this event was held in Vaux-sur-Sûre, Belgium. What a great collection of vintage military Jeeps and other vehicles! I love the 6×6 Willys Jeep!

Thousands of army trucks, jeeps, and parts were dumped on the island of Okinawa, Japan after World War 2.

The North Mountain Volunteer Fire Department has a beautiful restored 1951 Willys fire truck.

Here is another look at some old World War 2 Willys Jeep photos…

Here we have a great video of the 16th Annual Jeepers Jamboree on the Rubicon Trail. Notice the lack of roll bars, seat belts and suspension travel!

I came across the Antique Willys Club website the other day and saw some threads about what I thought was a Willys CJ-3B. This post said the owner lives around the Comox area of Vancouver Island in BC. Then I noticed that the front fenders almost had a YJ front to them. And the mirrors were different, along with weird turn signals. I read into the post and discovered that it is a 1980 J54 Mitsubishi Jeep with a 2.7L 4RD5 diesel. Of course, since it is a foreign Jeep, it is right hand drive.

The Rubicon Trail is probably the most famous 4×4 trail in the United States, maybe even the world. The California “road” was the home of the first Jeepers Jamboree and has remained an icon to the sport of outback travel…