Postwar Willys-Overland pickup has new paint and fresh wood trim inside and out.
Did you know Willys-Overland is still alive and well today? It is. Sort of. For the past two decades, a company in Toledo called Willys-Overland Motors has been selling its Repli-Tubs that fit a variety of old Willys and Jeep models. The 1947 Willys-Overland Jeep truck you see here isn’t a product of that company, but it’s another example of how Willys-Overland is still around in one form or another.
Willys-Overland introduced its Willys pickup truck in 1947. It could be equipped with two- or four-wheel drive. According to Jeep, it “served up everything that a farmer or laborer could want without much else. Buyers could have their truck with a pickup bed or a stake bed, or they could even take home a bare chassis if they liked depending on their needs.” Production didn’t end until 17 years later.
We found the listing for this first-year model on the Classic Carssite. There’s no official description for it, but the listing shows that it’s “fully restored.” equipped with a running replacement engine with electronic ignition, and located in Craigsville, West Virginia.
Judging by the limited photos, this truck has fresh maroon paint and aftermarket wheels. Underneath, everything looks nice and tidy. The wood used in the bed slats seems similar to the wood used for the interior door panels. The bench seat looks fairly modern, but in great shape. In front of that is a manual shift lever. All five of the dashboard gauges are aftermarket and appear to be somewhat awkwardly placed.
With a different set of wheels and a leather bench seat, this old Willys could look even better. Either way, it’s nice to see that this piece of history is still on the road.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
