The Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield, Ill., will be the site of the first Willys Jeep reunion this coming weekend. There will be about 70 Willys Jeeps on display, reports the Springfield Journal-Register.
Dennis Caraway, spokesman for the reunion, said vehicles will range from the classic Army Jeep to the Jeepster convertible. The featured vehicle will be the 1966-73 Jeepster Commando, which was bigger than a traditional Jeep.
Production of the original Jeep began around 1941. It was first made by a company called Bantam, which was too small to keep up with demand after World War II broke out. Contracts also were awarded to Ford and Willys to produce Jeeps, and Willys ended up making most of the vehicles.
After the war, Willys began producing Jeeps for civilian use. Farmers used them to work fields, and ranchers also found uses for them. Some people put snowplows on them, and still other people used them strictly for fun.
The reunion has its open Web site here.