Sunday, July 31, 2011

Six Ads From Time Magazine













This Sunday we have six ads from Time magazine. These six are great examples of the classic style of design that typified the Willys-Overland advertising of the post-war late forties- an emphasis on the business and home & farm capability of the jeep. Not much more needs to be said about them, so enjoy! Look for lots more coming soon from This-Old-Jeep.com. I have alot more in store and new t-shirt designs are coming soon!

You can click on any of the above thumbnails to view the full sized ads or click here to view more ads in their respective albums.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Meet The Blitz Buggy, The Quack And Penguin



Dating from October 13, 1943, the article “Meet The Blitz Buggy, The Quack And Penguin” appeared in The War Illustrated and introduced the British public to the wonder of the new jeep that was beginning to find fame across the world. The article includes many of the often heard soldierly vignettes about their love of the jeep as well as the Briticism(?) of referring to the DUCKW as a “Quack”! It’s a nice little find and insight into the common adoration that Allied armies across the world had for the jeep.

There are also a number of pages that include photos from the Invasion of Italy that feature the jeep always in a prominent place during the operation. I hope that you enjoy this little seen magazine and you can click on the thumbnail to view the rest of the pages.

Remember that alot is coming up at This-Old-Jeep.com. I’m working on new t-shirt, iPod and iPad case designs. I also have alot to add to the site soon, more for the LIFE magazine photo archive, James Sessions illustrations, more brochures from the 40’s and beyond, a new 2012 calendar and something special for next month coming up for the Jeep Cavalcade in Colorado.

Also, please consider a donation via our secure Paypal link to help pay for our server fees. I make a tiny amount selling ads via Google AdWords and via our Zazzle store front which helps defray the costs, but bills being what they are, I will need help keeping this labor of love online this year. Just a dollar from everyone of our fans on Facebook would pay for three years alone! Thanks for your help!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

The This-Old-Jeep.com 2011 Calendar- July


For July, the This-Old-Jeep.com calendar features two slides in a series that appear to be from the late 1950’s of men working for the U.S. Department of the Interior possibly working on oil or gas exploration in the American west. Luckily there are a few captions written on the back of these beautiful Kodachromes. The slide of the red CJ-5 is titled, “Noel in jeep on Long Point Mesa, on Long Point Mesa, Arizona” and the slide of the CJ3-A is labeled “N(orth): Lee Eicher in jeep, R at Beaver Mesa, Colo & Utah.” Other slides are contained in the station wagon album and make reference to other locations in Arizona and the Utah, Colorado area, drilling and a Carl Lipp, Bill Owen and George Mowat. If you happen to know any of these men or can supply me with any further information you can contact me at thisoldjeepdotcom@gmail.com.

Hope that you are enjoying your summer working or playing with the jeep! Keep checking back as there is alot that I’m working on on This-Old-Jeep.com and keep in mind that if you enjoy this site, you can help me immensely by a donation through our secure Paypal donation link. Help us keep this constantly expanding collection of free jeep history online!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

A Report On The Universal ‘Jeep’ In Conservation



In the 1940’s early in the run of the CJ2-A, Willys-Overland was enthusiastic about proving (and selling) the rural, agricultural and farming abilities of the new civilian jeep. As we have seen last week with the Data brochure, Willys had no shortage of proof to present to the post-war world on why the jeep was a vital part of the new economy and developing society.

One of these opportunities that they took was the event that took place in the Ohio Valley on or near the land at that time owned by the Rio Grande College’s farm. The college owned some 300 acres that was used as a fully functioning farm that its students worked on to help defray the costs of tuition and to provide food. This unique situation was utilized by the college from when they bought the land in 1938 until 1953 when the land was sold to Bob Evans, the sausage manufacturer and owner of the restaurant chain of the same name.

Willys-Overland took this and ran with it, providing jeeps and equipment that showed off the capabilities of the jeep in a two day event in such various activities as clearing land, running tools with its PTO and agricultural tilling and planting. The program was run under the auspices of the U.S. Soil Conservation Service with the message that “The land is our heritage... protect it!” It must have been a message that resonated with Americans after the destruction visited upon much of the world after the war. And of course, the jeep was as much a vital part of the peacetime world as it had been during wartime.

Keep checking back every week. I’m still working on a revamp of the website, designing new products for the This-Old-Jeep.com Zazzle marketplace and in the middle of a couple of large scanning projects that you will see here! Have a suggestion or something to submit? You can find us on Facebook and Twitter or email me @ThisOldJeepDotCom@gmail.com.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Jeep Operation Data Brochure



Happy 4th of July weekend everyone! Today we have a brochure to share that most likely dates from the period of 1949 until possibly as late as 1953 as the jeeps shown off in the brochure are CJ3-As. Its representative of the factory advertising of the day when Willys-Overland was still heavily into showing off the farming, agricultural and industrial abilities of the jeep lineup. The brochure is filled with technical specifications, charts and reasons why the farmer as well as business owners of the day should choose a jeep over a tractor or another truck. It’s typical of the emphasis on land stewardship when, after a major war we as a country focussed upon not only helping to rebuild a world torn apart by world war but on our own booming economy and the new opportunities in this country. Click here to view the album of the full brochure!

Happy Independence Day weekend to everyone!