I'm sure readers know the facts, but if they don't, here they are. During World War II, Willys-Overland was already thinking of how to market passenger vehicles during and after the war and wanted to use the word Jeep as the identifying name for selling the 11/44-ton 4x4 and its new line of vehicles to the American public. The problem was the word was already used to describe military vehicles by Dodge and Ford and a wide variety of other things including Seegar's cartoon character.
The Willys-Overland company hired an advertising company (United States Advertising Inc.) to place full-page color ads in major magazines (drawn by some of the nation's greatest artists) which showed the U.S. Army Jeep from Willys-Overland helping win the war alongside pictures of the Willys Americar. The purpose of these ads was to establish the requirements for a recognizable trademark. Not only did other companies complain about deceptive advertising, but the U.S. Government-through the Federal Trade Commission-filed a suit for unfair trade practices in 1943. By 1948, Willys had met the requirements of a five-year, no-contestability clause, and in 1950, an oval brass logo appeared on the driver-side cowl of all wagons, trucks, and Jeepsters showing Jeep Corporation in the middle. This was a big deal for the Willys-Overland company and for the future history of the Jeep name.
Walt Mikolajcik
Fairfield, California
More Me
I was pleased to see my '48 Willys Jeepster on page 26 of the July '07 issue and appreciate the time your staff took to spend with me and to photograph it. I've had this car for more than 30 years now, and I still love it.
Even though it's a 2WD, I wouldn't want your readers to think this Jeepster is our only Jeep product or our only Jeep interest. As a newborn in England in 1944, my father brought us back from the hospital in his Military Police Jeep. When he came home from World War II in early 1946 and brought my mom and I with him, he couldn't buy a new car, so he bought a new CJ-2A and my sister came home from the hospital in that Jeep in 1947. We left Illinois and came to Arizona in a new '51 Willys station wagon, and at least 10 Jeeps have been in our family ever since. I have personally owned a '53 CJ-3B with a 283 Chevy for power, a '51 Willys wagon, our current Jeepster, and now I'm restoring a CJ-3A back to original. As a new subscriber, I'm enjoying your magazine and your tell-it-like-it-isphilosophy.
Colin Peabody
Phoenix, Arizona
Why No Jp KJ Love
I've seen several posts on some online forums that seem to think that Jp Magazine slights KJs and isn't worth getting. I have never seen your magazine, but I am thinking of subscribing. Can you give me your take on why some hard-core KJ owners would feel that way? By hard-core, I mean folks like me with 2.5-3-inch lifts, rock rails, and lockers, who'll run anything at Moab that a stock Rubicon will but need a dual-use toy/daily-driver that can seat five people.
Jason Sattler
Beavercreek, Ohio
There is nothing wrong with a Liberty if it fits what you want to do with it. However, when you get to modifications, I see some problems. The Liberty was never intended to be an enthusiast Jeep.