I have owned this Jeep from the time it was new. It was only natural that I wanted to learn as much as I could about the Jeeps. The first Jeep for the Military came off the assembly line in 1941. It was built for rough use with a head light that could shine under the hood to work at night. With eleven leafs per spring it rode like a lumber wagon. Under Military specs all Jeeps , even those built by Ford were required to have interchangeable parts. The Military jeep was made until 1946 when World War II came to an end, Willys Overland Corp. who made the Jeep had to change or go out of business.
This is when the Agra Jeep emerged as a way to work the fields in the agriculture market. It's major competitor was the International Farmall Tractor. There were no tractors made during the war due to a shortage of steel. Changes were a tail gate, larger headlights, an option of four power take offs to run farm equipment. In 1947, the cost was about 41000. The passenger seat was an extra $8.50, rear seat $11.50. Heaters were optional along with the top. Lewistown, MT holds the record for the most sales in 1947 and 1948 in the United States.
To quote a famous WW II war correspondent "Ernie Pyle": Good Lord, I don't think we could continue the war without the jeep. It does everything. It goes everywhere. It's as faithful as a dog, strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carries twice what it was designed for, and keeps on going. It doesn't even ride so badly after you get used to it.
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