Jeep Historian Revels in Everything Tied to Nameplate
Ever meet someone who completely makes you rethink how much you actually know about a topic?
Well, when it comes to the history of Jeep, Ron Szymanski is that guy.
Mention a subject tied to the nameplate, and if Szymanski can’t answer it directly, he can quickly point you to the appropriate resource to find the information. But hearing the 84-year-old talk about Jeep is far more entertaining, as he rattles off tidbits on everything from Jeep specs over the years to the names of plant engineers.
Some of the historian’s insight is preserved online at KnowledgeStream.org in an hour-long presentation on Jeep’s military roots. And the walls of Szymanski’s garage (where he stores his 1960 Jeep DJ-3 Surrey) are loaded with Jeep memorabilia that he’s saved over the years.
It’s a passion for the vehicles that the Toledo native has been cultivating since he was kid who’d hitch rides to the Willys Overland Plant in the ‘40s, so as to watch the military models being loaded on carriers to be shipped overseas during World War II.
“I’ve always had some kind of attachment to Jeep,” says Szymanski. “Even when I was in the military, I drove a Jeep.”
Szymanski spent 35 years of his life working at the Toledo Overland plant, beginning in 1962, and continued as a volunteer for the city’s Jeep museum until 2004. He also served as a historian for Camp Jeep until 2007. Even after Szymanski retired from Jeep, he was asked to help with the introduction of the first Jeep Liberty in 2001.
“I got a phone call from my boss at the time and he said, ‘how would you like to work the launch of the liberty for the foreign and domestic dealers?’ I said, ‘hell yeah,’” recalls Szymanski. In fact, the historian says he can’t really recall a time when he hasn’t had an attachment to Jeep.
Most recently, Szymanski helped coordinate Toledo’s first ever Jeep fest, which drew about 1,000 Jeep owners to downtown Toledo to participate in the mega one-day festival. The Jeep historian, who displayed his DJ-3 Surrey at the event, says one of the personal highlights for him at the fest was sharing stories with owners who remembered him from Camp Jeep.
“Jeep collectors and owners are fanatical. They’ll do anything to get to a meet,” says Szymanski. “They are unbelievably loyal.”
When asked about what he thinks continues to fuel that passion for Jeep, Szymanski said it’s tough to pin down to one thing.
“It’s just a different vehicle. People can go four-wheeling. They can have a lot of fun in the mud and sand. And you can’t do those things with cars,” he says.
It’s also should come as no big surprise that the diehard Jeep fan has a big issue with some of the criticism that the Wrangler has gotten over the years from groups like Consumer Reports, which routinely gives the Jeep bad reviews.
“They are trying to compare it with luxury sedans,” argues Szymanski. “The Wrangler is built for off-road. It has to ride stiff, because the suspension needs to be stiff when you go off-road. People also complain about water leaks. But the fact is, that a lot of people just don’t properly put the tops back on.”
However, even Szymanski’s unwavering passion for the American nameplate hasn’t clouded his memories about some of Jeep’s lowest points over the years, like the early ‘70s, when production was drastically cut at the Toledo plant.
“Kaiser had already moved most of the military work to the plant in Mishawaka, Indiana. “If I recall correctly, we (Toledo) only had about 50,000 sales a year. It was definitely a low point.”
Ironically enough, Szymanski said some of the highest points for Jeep came under American Motors as well.
“The CJ-5 was a big seller…and, of course, when American Motors took over, they made the Wagoneer more appealing to the females. They put a lot of work into improving the interior to make it appeal to women. And it really started to take off.”
One of his favorite models over the years? The M38A1 (military version).
As far as what the future holds for Jeep? Well, Szymanski says that remains to be seen, be it the potential success of the new Wagoneer on the horizon or amid talk that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles might sell the brand. But one thing the historian seems certain of, there will always be a Wrangler.
“Every company that’s ever owned Jeep has always realized it was a money maker,” he says. “That’s not going to change.”
