Willys Model 38

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 ?-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.

First registered 1952 we understand that this M38 Ford Jeep is one of around 2,300 that was produced under licence by Ford in Canada in 1952 and designated the M38-CDN. We are also advised that this particular example saw service in Korea.

It was imported from the United States by its sole UK owner in late 2015 as completed restoration. Along with the car is the DVD of the restoration, which has been carried out to a very high standard and it remains in this condition today

UK registered V5 present and ready to go!