Here's What You Need To Remember: Far from an urban legend, the "Jeep in a Crate" clearly existed at one point - hundreds of thousands of them were packed this way for shipment to Europe and Asia. Whether any still exist today, however, is much less certain.

There is a unique subset of “classic car” aficionados who collect military vehicles, and a complete World War II Jeep remains something every serious collector must have. What military history buff wouldn't like to take a vintage Willies Jeep out for a ride on a warm afternoon?

Jeeps aren't exactly common, but with more than 648,000 produced during the war these aren't entirely rare either. However, the “Holy Grail” for military Jeep collectors isn't actually a fully restored and running World War II model, but rather the long rumored “Jeep in a Crate.”

Now, the first question that might be asked is why were Jeeps in a crate? The answer is that during the war many Jeeps were produced and packed this way for shipment to U.S. forces in Europe as well as those intended as Lend-Lease for the Soviet Union.

“Jeeps were produced and packed in crates for shipment to U.S. and allied forces in countries like England and the Soviet Union," explained John Adams-Graf, editor of Military Vehicles magazine. “For example, the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Richmond, Calif., crated about 70 percent of its production due to their close proximity to the San Francisco port.”

How many Jeeps were actually “crated” isn't known, but because it was rather expensive and in many cases the Jeeps were completed in American cities and often drive on and later off the ships. The crated Jeeps seem to have been for deployment where the Jeeps wouldn't be able to drive off the ship.

Get Your Own 

The reason that the “Jeep in a Crate” is even remembered today is that after the war advertisements appeared in the likes of Boy's Life and Popular Science enticing readers with offers to have access to “Army Surplus Jeeps – Only $50.”

The ad wasn't actually for a Jeep, but rather for just $20—which was equal to $200 or more in today's money—a reader could send away for information on how to bid at government auctions and perhaps get a Jeep for $50. It was a scam. The same information was already available from the U.S. Government for free.

Even worse was the fact that very few Jeeps—crated or otherwise—were ever available. While millions were produced, the U.S. military didn't take great efforts to bring vast numbers of the equipment home after the war. Even most collectors doubt that any actual “Jeep in a crate” still exists, and dealers and many organizations have offered substantial amounts of cash to acquire one. So far not one has shown up.

“When it comes to WWII vehicles, the ‘Jeep-in-the-crate’ myth, like Sasquatch or the Loch Ness monster is one that just doesn't disappear,” said Adams-Graf. “And like those other mythical creatures, it seems many people have had sightings of or know someone who had bought a WWII surplus jeep in a crate.”

Are they out there? The answer is probably not.

“No one has ever presented photo evidence or a bill of sale of a surplus WWII jeep in a crate,” Adams-Graf told The National Interest. In fact, back in the mid-1990s, Daryl Bensinger, owner of Beachwood Canvas in Island Heights, New Jersey, made an open offer of $10,000 to anyone who could prove the existence of surplus WWII Jeeps still in the crate that were sold after WWII or still locked away in a forgotten warehouse. To date, no one has claimed that prize.

The best next option is a modern reproduction such as ones made in the Philippines that were seen on YouTube a few years back.

For anyone seeking a real vintage Jeep in a crate, they are unlikely to find one. Postwar Jeeps like M38s and M151s do exist and have been sold as surplus, added Adams-Graf. “But, no evidence exists to document that WWII Willys MBs or Ford GPWs were ever sold ‘in the crate’ as surplus. If there are WWII jeeps still in their crates, they are sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic or Pacific.” 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. This article first appeared last month.

Image: Reuters