An 80-Year-Old Jeep Still Has The Goods

A 1940s Willys jeep, built in the immediate aftermath of its counterparts stationed in Europe and the Pacific helping to secure victory for the Allies in World War II, is still capable of a having mid-century off-road fun in the modern era. Leave it to a pair of YouTubers to re-discover the joy of slow crawling around a variety of off-road obstacles in a skinny-tire open-top bathtub on wheels. 

In a United States where sports cars were still quite rare at the time, a Willys was perhaps the best way to have fun on four wheels, essentially creating the off-road hobby as soldiers familiar with their capabilities pushed them into services as recreational trail runners. With over 600,000 built during the war, there were plenty of surplus units to go around, and they could be had for cheap. 

In 2025 a Willys MB is maybe among the least expensive ways to get into vintage vehicle ownership. While a vintage Willys like this one will get its backside handed to it in direct competition with a small side-by-side, there’s something to be said for driving a 4×4 with this much flair. 

Equipped with a positively agrarian drivetrain and super-low four-wheel drive, the old Willys “Go Devil” engine had just enough power (54 ponies) to push around the MB’s 2,300ish pounds, and enough torque to climb a dang tree, or rip it out by the roots.

Jerry and Jobe of the excellent BigTime channel on YouTube, recently bought this Willys at auction for a song. With projects ranging from motorcycles and big rigs to side-by-sides, BMW M3s, and drift cars, the two friends are committed to variety being the spice in their lives. Much like a dog chasing a car, these guys didn’t really know what to do with the Willys once they’d caught it. In this 23-minute exploration of the Jeep lifestyle, they try to fix it and figure out what makes it tick. 

Aside from driving on the freeway, which they determined quite quickly the MB isn’t cut out for, it kind of makes the perfect errand runner, beach comber, and mild off-roader. They’ve almost convinced me I need my own Willys MB.