Willys Jeeps 75th Birthday – New Zealand
Willys Jeeps birthday was celebrated in New Zealand today, with great gusto. “Regardless of your opinion of it, no one can deny that the original Willys Jeep has had a strong influence on what we consider to be a proper off-road vehicle today.”
Had it not been for Willys Jeeps, the following cars would not be in existence:
Jeep Wrangler, straight from the Wills family tree; Hummer H1; Jeeps brother, from another mother; Mitsubishi Pajero, SsangYong Korando, and our fabled desi Mahindra. Yes from the very start to today.
Mahindra claims the Thar is unrelated to the old Jeep, but it looks exactly like it. In New Zealand where Mahindra vehicles are sold, the Thar can only be used as a, “dedicated farm vehicle”; the Thar cannot be registered for, “Road Use” in New Zealand, as the Thar lacks anything resembling, “Modern Safety Equipment” !
My oldest Jeep – Ford GPW, was delivered to the US Army on 29th February, 1944, thus is 72.50 years old – www.indiajeeps.com
Hey ho Willys…