One to Buy: 16,000 mile Tropical Rose / Coral Mist Willys Jeep DJ-3A Surrey
/
Alongside Ford’s Model T and first generation Mustang, the Willys-Overland and Ford-built Jeep ranks among the most significant automobiles to have emerged from the United States.
Originally conceived as light, powerful, multi-role all-wheel drive vehicle to serve infantry needs, around 640,000 were built for the Allied forces during World War 2 as the Jeep became the most widely used military vehicle in history and one of the most influential designs in automotive history.
During 1944, when the United States was confident the war would be won, plans for a ‘Civilian Jeep’ began to take shape. Lightly modified to incorporate some basic amenities, an even sturdier drivetrain with part-time four-wheel drive, a drop-down tailgate, side-mounted spare wheel and uprated lighting, the CJ was initially targeted at rural buyers for agricultural use but quickly found favour with the wider public.
Following the creation of CJ-1 and CJ-2 prototypes, the CJ-2A entered production in 1945. This was in turn replaced by the CJ-3A in 1949 which transitioned to CJ-3B trim for 1953 (the same year Willys Overland was bought by Kaiser Motors).
In 1955, Willys launched the DJ-3A for the 1956 model year using the body style of the older CJ-3A. Initially created as an inexpensive vehicle for the US Postal Service, when that contract came to an end in 1959 the leftover Jeeps were used to produce a pair of resort specials known as the home market Surrey and export market Gala.
A trio colour schemes were offered: Cerulean Blue on Glacier White, Jade Tint Green on Glacier White and the two-tone pink combination you see here: Tropical Rose over Coral Mist.
Other unique aspects of the specification included striped seat upholstery with a matching tasselled canvas top and spare wheel cover. Steering wheels were colour coordinated to the body as were the chromed hubcaps. Whitewall tyres came as standard.
Produced from 1959 to 1964, a little over 1000 examples of the DJ-3A were manufactured in Surrey / Gala trim, one of which is currently residing at the Hyman Ltd. showroom in St. Louis, Missouri.
Once part of the collection amassed by Wayne Davis in Texas, this 16,000 mile Surrey has been cherished by its most recent custodian for over a decade and is said to present as a “well-loved older restoration that has mellowed gracefully with time”.
