I’ve been reading Frederic Coldwell’s excellent piece of research “Preproduction Civilian Jeeps” lately and am struck by just how much forethought that Willys-Overland put into marketing the future civilian jeep. What was to become the CJ2-A was put through its paces from Alabama to Washington state and then marketed aggressively to the public. Willys certainly saw a unique opportunity and made the most of it. The color ad in the center shows off Willys numerous Agrijeep testing photographs and makes certain that the public knew that “Willys Builds The Universal ‘Jeep’.” The right hand ad trumpets the four functions of the civilian jeep as a truck, tow rig, tractor and runabout. This would capture as wide a swath of the emerging market as possible. And Willys knew it was going to go after the American public’s hearts and minds early on. In fact, Willys efforts at adopting the jeep to a new market began as early as the first production of the MB in 1941! In the post war years not only was the CJ sold but Willys soon diversified into manufacturing their pickup truck and station wagons, each spotlighting a unique corner of the worldwide automobile market.
Come on back next week for more of the world’s greatest vehicle, the jeep! And if you like my site, please consider a donation to our server fund. You can also view the entire collection of ads separated into their model and use categories here.
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