Description
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
13th March, 2024 13:00
1952 Willys Jeep M38
Rare and desirable M38 example
Estimate
£20, 000 - £25, 000
Registration No: KHV 415
Chassis No: MC63918
MOT: Exempt
Desirable and rare ‘Go-Devil’ engine M38 example
Comprehensively restored between 2008 and 2010 and kept on static display since
Highly original example
Widely regarded as easier to drive and with greater interior space than the MB Jeeps
The immortal Willys Jeep is sometimes described as the vehicle that won WW2, mobilising the allied forces with lightweight, manoeuvrable transport. With its tough and torquey 2. 2-litre sidevalve 'Go-Devil' motor coupled to four-wheel drive, it got places that other vehicles could not. In wartime, Willys produced more than 360, 000 MB Jeeps and Ford almost 280, 000 identical GPWs. Though manufacture of the original type continued for various worldwide armies, the initial design was improved and updated, first as the CJ-2A (for Civilian Jeep) with tailgate, and then as the M38 for the military, built from 1950-52, resembling the wartime Jeep but with more prominent headlamps. Retaining all the attributes of its illustrious predecessor including tough construction, slogging 2199cc ‘Go-Devil’ sidevalve engine (max torque at a diesel-like 2000rpm) and an improved three-speed high/ low ratio 2wd/ 4wd transmission. In 1953 Kaiser purchased Willys-Overland, renaming it the Willys Motor Company, and commissioned the design and manufacture departments to embark on a series of far more civilian-oriented vehicles, as well as launching the overhead valve engined M38 A1 variant.
